We Are Legends: Part One: Infected
by Colorful Crayola
Summary: What happens when someone isn't immune to the KV Virus, but also can't be infected or killed by it? What are you supposed to do when faced with the destruction of your home city, neither human nor Infected? Well. Alexis Banes can tell you. Movie adapt.
1. Chapter 1

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter One.**

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I'm roaming around Dr. Neville's house right now, looking for something to do. I never have much to do during the day than sleep, while he's out scavenging, and sometimes I can't even sleep. I should, so I was ready to go out at night, but sometimes I just don't get anywhere with that.

Dr. Neville's house was very bright. He'd shut the metal barricades in the guest bedroom for me, for sunlight always seeped in and made it hard for me to get any sleep. He's trying his best, though, and for that I am grateful.

When I did walk around the house, I couldn't close the window barricades. Dr. Neville is very adamant about his home being bright and sunshiny. The Infected don't like the sunlight. Not that I did, either, but I could tolerate it more than they could. That didn't stop me from walking around the big house with a big hooded sweatshirt on and the hood pulled around my head.

So here I am. Walking around looking for ways to entertain myself. At last, my infernal boredom has driven me to go and look though Dr. Neville's conglomeration of movies for anything good. I've started trifling through his drawers, but no movies. . . Paper! I've found paper. Lined paper. Oh, how I used to love to write. I wonder if I'm still good at it. . .

But wait. . . Shouldn't I ask Dr. Neville if I could use this paper, first? I have found it while looking through his drawers without permission. . . Bah. We have the entire world. I'll get him some more when it's time for me to go out while he sleeps. He did tell me to sleep today, though. . . I hadn't slept yesterday, either, and my salvaging hadn't been up to gear that night. . . I almost fell asleep in one of the houses I was raiding, so I came home early then slept until one. How did he expect me to get to sleep now?

"That's why you should have stayed up until your normal time! Now you'll have like, jet lag or something," he scolded me when I woke up.

"I'll stay up today! I won't go to sleep early!" I promised.

"Damn right, you won't. I'm not letting you in my house early again. Might follow you," he continued to scold me while walking around to gather all of his ammo and guns and little bags for his outing.

I scoffed. "Yeah, they'll follow me just as soon as a rabbit will follow around a hungry tiger. I'm not bringing one of them home until you ask me to," I assured him.

I could tell by the way he moved his head that he was rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. C'mon, Sam. We need to go," he called to his German Shepherd, Samantha.

Sam glanced at me, her head cocked to the side, and then she followed Dr. Neville outside toward the Ford Expedition. I stepped away from the window, unable to take the sunlight anymore.

Well, I have to stay true to my word. I have to stay out tonight until the sun starts to rise. They can't be able to follow me. . . They would try to hurt Dr. Neville. . . I wouldn't be able to protect him from a whole swarm. . . Dr. Neville is all I have. . . If I lost him, I would go insane.

I grab the papers, head for the table, and sit down. I am going to write. I'm going to write a non-fiction story. I've never written non-fiction. . . But this story is going to be easy. This story is going to be stranger and scarier than fiction. Or any other non-fiction stories, for that fact.

A story about survival. A story about frightening things that are very real. A story about travesties. A story about tragedies.

Wait. . . aren't those the same things? Pause while I get a dictionary!

Nope, they're not. Where was I? Ah, yes.

A story about an unfortunate sequence of events. A story to rattle a soul. A story to make sure nothing like it ever happens again. Maybe humanity can learn from it's mistakes. I was hoping this story could help that. If I am to die in the near future, I want people to know my story. Know it, and learn from it.

Only. . . I sit down and realize I don't have a pen and or pencil. So here I go. . . Getting up and searching through more drawers to find my quarry. . . A mechanical pencil! I must thank Dr. Neville for keeping his house organized.

"Please, Lex. Call me Robert. Or Rob. Or even Robby. I've known you for nearly five months now. I think you've earned the right to call me by my first name," Dr. Neville asked of me.

I'm not allowed to call him Dr. Neville to his face, but I just don't feel right calling him Robby. So, that would be why I'm referring him to Dr. Neville as I write this. Think I should retain some formality.

I've gotten all this down in four hours. It was three when I started. Dr. Neville said it was ok for me to use the paper, but he's going to be angry with me if I don't get out and do some good for him soon. I'm running out of things to put for this prologue slash chapter one, anyway. I'm not sure how to end it, yet, though, at only two pages. Put up with my rambling for a little longer, please.

A little background. . . Just a little. . .

My dad had been a cop. He was always out late at night, coming home at all hours of the night. We got used to it after a while. My family was proud: he was keeping the city safe from criminals, putting 'bad people' behind bars. But, we never did like it. Never. . . Why should we? We barely ever got to see him. Being proud isn't the same thing as liking what he was doing.

As I said, though, we got used to it.

Got used to the fact he was always out, risking his life. Got used to the fact that the night he was out late could be the night he never came back home.

Reese wasn't just a cop, either. He was a detective. He spoke to the criminals. Interrogated them. He was the one who was angering people. Getting inside their heads and was probably the base of many vendettas.

Because Reese was out at all hours of the night, it was just my mom, my little sister, and I. Sadie was only four-years-old at the time, so Olivia had stayed home and watched her. She didn't peg me as responsible enough. She told me she wanted me to have as much freedom as I wanted; hanging out with friends and whatnot, but I knew.

Otherwise, we were a fairly happy family. Reese tried his best to make it to every birthday, every event, but we forgave him for those he missed. He always had a gift ready for when he was home for birthdays. We always recorded the events.

It never would be the same, but we were thankful for those times he was home. Vacations, sick days, just days he had off. We'd go to a movie or out to dinner or something.

Christmas. He always had Christmas off. He made sure his boss, or captain or whatever, gave it to him. Not all of the people on the squad had families that needed attending to and love and all that jazz. Those were happy times. Once he even brought a puppy home. A gift for the family. She was an adorable little Australian Shepherd who we labeled as Cassie. I had been 16 when we got her.

That was a great Christmas. We had her for a very long time. About three years, two years before it happened, one year after.

We had this crazy family tradition of going to church on Christmas Eve. We weren't devout Christians, but both sides of my grandparents had been, so it was important to both Olivia and Reese.

Frightening news reports had been scattered on almost every other channel on the tv. Sadie was only six, so she didn't understand a whole lot of what was going down.

My parents knew, though. And so did I. People were being vacated, that's how bad it was. Did my parents take heed and make us pack a bag each so we could go down to the docks and escape?

No.

They said that now, more than ever, was the time to go to speak to God. Now was the time to repent. Or some nonsense like that. I wanted to leave. I was scared, and the tones we were talking in was scaring Sadie.

Still, we all got dressed up and left for our church like we did every year at this time. The ride there was silent: I wasn't talking to my parents and they didn't feel the need to talk to me or have the radio on. Like any music would have played anyway: it all would have been news.

If only they had taken my pleas to heart. If only they had taken the advice of the news people. If only we would have not gone to church that night. If only we had evacuated like we should have. If only, if only, if only, _if only,_ _if only, _IF ONLY!

Maybe things would have been different.

My name is Alexis Banes. This is my story.

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**Well, tell me what you think. I'll post a few more chapters up regardless of what people say, as this was just like an introduction chapter, a prologue if you will, but it's not really a prologue. . . eh you get what I mean. This was just a random idea I got, and I don't want to give much away, but the further I get into the, the more I'll talk about the idea. Maybe. Depends on how feel and if I want to talk about it! Hahaha  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Two**

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Before I start the story, though, I think I should add a few things of what's happening in between chapters on my outings to find provisions. There's never a single dull night when I'm out, and it actually gets pretty old.

I will not give away anything that will give away things in the actual story. I wish to keep you in suspense and entertain you. I want this to be more like a story instead of a documentary. Documentaries are so boring, and I can't stand them. I wouldn't be able to sit here and write one, either, so I won't. Or, at least I'll try not to.

But anyway. Last night was just as exciting as the night before that. I visited another house Dr. Neville hadn't been able to hit that day. That was how we worked; he'd make a list and then we'd follow it. He'd list houses that needed to be picked clean, then he'd start at one end and whatever he didn't finish, I'd pick up the slack. He said he was already a month ahead of schedule. Very proud, he is, as well as ecstatic.

Why did I go out at night and not Dr. Neville? Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise.

When Dr. Neville goes out, he usually hunts and raids houses for any batteries or food or any other practical stuff. He doesn't give me a list of things to get anymore. He did the first few months, but I could never stick to that list. So many other things I could get instead. . . Books, money. . . I was a money monger. I still held onto the hope that humanity would make it through. Humanity would make a comeback and a cure would be made.

It was a long shot, but I wanted to hold on to that thought as long as I could. It had to be possible. With people like Dr. Neville and I, we could be the cure. And when one was made, I would be rich. Greedy? No. Realist.

Dr. Neville believed that, too. The cure part, not the money part. He spent part of his mornings trying to make a cure. I'm not allowed in his lab, but I don't really have any desire to see what's down there, anyway. I'm mostly asleep during the day, anyway. When I'm not having days like yesterday. When I wrote the first chapter?

Anyway, Dr. Neville only scoffs when I bring home oodles of cash now. At first he wanted me to put it back, but I can be. . . very persuasive when I want to be. He knows I mean him no harm, but he still lets me get away with that. . .

I actually slept today. From noon till nine. Dr. Neville likes to get up at seven, but not I. I like my sleep and sleeping in. He respects that. Not at first, of course, but I can be even more stubborn than persuasive at times. He eventually just stopped trying to tell me how to live my life.

Until a few months ago, he had me getting up and leaving at the crack of dawn. He was afraid that if they saw me coming in and out of this house, they'd come in and find him. I explained it to him, though, that they would never come to this house if they thought I was living here. They'd probably be more likely to ignore the house, too, afraid of what would happen if I found them lurking around my home.

He's giving me only until lunch time to write as far as I can in my little story. I've told him what it is, and he seems supportive. He has his own little video diary thing going, but I'm not into those type of things. Never was when I was little, either. That's kinda what I'm going to be doing from here, a few pages before I continue the story. . . But it's not quite the same. . . No, I'm a hypocrite. Never mind.

I only have a few more hours, so I'm going to try to pump out a chapter a day. I suppose that means I'll have to start the story now. . . But where to begin?

Any person will tell you to start at the beginning. . . That's what's best here, too, I suppose, so I'll start the day it happened. Or the night. I didn't know much of anything that was going on until this day, so it's almost like the beginning. Close enough.

I hope that I live long enough to finish this. I hope that it can have a happy ending, but, not everyone lives happily ever after.

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"Mom, I don't see why we're here! This place is empty!" I whispered vehemently in Olivia's ear. My arms were crossed angrily over my chest and I was sunk deep into my pew.

Olivia shushed me equally as forcefully. "Stop it! This is what we're doing, and there is nothing you can do."

I sighed rather loudly. Not that it mattered: there weren't a whole lot of people here currently. Just a bunch of hard-core religionists who thought someone up in the sky was going to save them.

Not me. I didn't particularly believe in God. Well, I kind of did. I was agnostic. I thought there might have been a higher power, but I also believed in free will.

"There's nothing to worry about, Lex. It'll be ok," Reese assured me, leaning in front of my mom to whisper to me.

I nodded. Sure it would. Nothing seemed like it would be ok on the news. People were shoving others around to get somewhere, and a lot of people had been wearing make-shift masks over their noses and mouths. It looked hectic, and I knew a lot of people were scared.

So why the Hell were we here? If there was an evacuation going down, why would we hide out in a church?

The organ started playing, and my gaze shot to the front of the room. An old man was sitting on the organ bench, playing away to get everyone's attention while the choir started to sing and the preacher man stood at his little podium thing.

After a few minutes the song died down and the service could begin.

Not that I would really listen. My mind was elsewhere. . . On the streets. On the docks. With all of the people in the middle of the chaos. My parents had never really talked about what was going on with people to me. I suppose they were attempting to protect me, but I was going to find out about it sooner or later. People talked about it in school all the time.

The one phrase that had made the biggest impact on me was "airborne." That was a term usually meaning that some virus or some disease or sickness had jumped from contact to the air.

But what virus? What sickness or disease?

Why did my parents have to try to protect me? There were a lot of questions I would have liked answered.

Even with my mind elsewhere, I always stood at the appropriate times and bowed my head when I was supposed to. Multitasking. It was a skill I had received from Olivia. Reese was not so good with doing more than one activity.

Something was wrong. . . Something was going on outside. Loud screeches and thumps were coming from outside the door. It distracted the ten or so people in the room, and once interrupted a song the choir was singing.

"What was that?" I demanded in a whisper.

Olivia opened her mouth as if to answer me, but she just shook her head, her gaze trailing to the back of the room. Reese set Sadie on my mom's lap and his hand slowly inched toward his hip, under his jacket. I knew what he was reaching for. He wanted to make sure his semi-automatic was handy.

The noises grew louder and more distracting. The service had all but stopped. Sadie was sniffling with fear and other people were embracing each other protectively.

A crash sounded right out side the door, causing all of us to jump with surprise. It was followed by a terror-filled scream, most likely female. Reese jumped to his feet, his gun drawn and ready to fire.

"It's alright, I'm a detective," he assured the church goers. Like they'd be afraid of a man with a gun when there was something obviously malignant right outside of the door.

Suddenly, the door shuddered and bulged. Some people screamed, and it only seemed to make whatever it was out there try even harder to breech the room.

Was this what the news had been talking about? What exactly was going on here? Who was doing this, who was trying to break in here so tenaciously? Why, even? We hadn't done anything!

I'm sure that there had been a whole lot of praying going on right then at that point in time. If I was right and there was, it wasn't going to do a lot of help.

In fact, it didn't help one bit.

All hell broke loose as the door was busted from its hinges and broke apart into splinters. An extremely pale and under-dressed group of people fell into the rather small room, scrabbling over each other and making unearthly sounds. Screams and gunshots broke out into the church, soon covering up any sounds the weird things were creating.

It only went downhill from there.

The strange human-monsters started to make their way toward us. I had counted maybe five of them, but that was after my dad had killed two of them. Sometimes he'd hit one, but not in the right place. When that was the case, they didn't even seem like they had been phased at all.

Quickly, I ducked down and rolled under the pew my family had been sitting at before the attack. I was not going to sit in the open and let these things do to me whatever it was they were going to do to everyone else.

I crawled over to the wall and pressed myself up against it, trying to make myself as small as I could, as less noticeable as I could.

Slowly, Reese's gunfire stopped and his semi-automatic clattered to the floor. There were more dead human-monsters littering the floor by now, and the screeches had grown much more ferocious. They were loud, and they were obviously becoming very angry.

People were running, a fact I noticed by the way people's feet were moving. I shook my head and stayed as still as I could manage while breathing. I had seen quite a few nature documentaries, enough to know that most predators were attracted to movement. They shouldn't be running.

Of course, these things weren't animals. They still looked human, so they might be smarter than to go after those who are running.

After the first person went down courtesy of the pale monsters, I elected to close my eyes. If I had to lay there and watch all of this carnage, I was not going to be able to be still and quiet. I was not going to stay hidden.

That didn't block out the sounds. . . Crunches, splatters, screams, snaps. . . Things breaking, humans squealing with that last bit of pain before they were killed, people crying. People running. Those monsters roaring and screeching, enjoying themselves, perhaps.

Things no teenage girl should ever hear.

I tried to block them out. Tried to think of something. . . anything that would stop the sounds, the horrible sounds. But I couldn't. Not when it was Olivia screaming. Not when it was Sadie's fear-struck yell. Not when it was Reese shouting a challenge to the creatures and crying my mom's name.

Right then, I wished I would have been killed. I wished I had been out there running with them all. I wished I hadn't hid. I wished I had tried harder to get us to leave. I wished that. . . Most of all I wished my sister was under the pew with me. I wished I had grabbed her. But no. . . She wouldn't have been quiet. . . That would have gotten us both killed.

So instead, I wished I would make it out. I wished that by some miracle the human-monsters had enough pity in them to spare a small child. Spare the little girl who had no one. No way to protect herself. I wished that by some act of God, if he did exist, the creatures wouldn't think she was big enough to really feed anyone.

I wished they would just go away. I wished they would leave. I wished they wouldn't notice me and would vacate before they did and I could make my escape.

For the record, wishing gets you nowhere.

A snarl came from my right. My eyes shot open and I flipped over instantly, coming face to face with one of those things. It looked like a he, and his mouth was slightly open, showing totally human teeth. I screamed and tried to scramble out from under my hiding place, which had ironically changed into a death trap. He groped around for me, his hand grasping for anything he could get his hands on. I sufficed to roll instead of crawl, and that had turned out to be a lot easier.

But it still didn't get me anywhere.

Another one was leaping at me, and I gasped, then rolled under the pew in front of mine. I would have to stand up if I was going to get anywhere, but I didn't know how many of those things were left, and I knew I wasn't anywhere near the door.

A thump above me caught my attention, and I knew one of them was on top the pew, rocking it back and forth. I squealed, then looked at the next pew in front of me again, gauging the chances I could make it. . .

No, not that way. Behind me there was the pew and the door. If I rolled back to where I had started, well, they wouldn't be expecting that. At least, I hoped they didn't. Plus, there was a back to the pew. If I rolled back, the thing on top of it would have to go around it. If I tried to go forward, it could just fall on top of me.

So, backward it was.

Taking a deep breath, I readied myself, then propelled myself backward into a roll. Angry screeches went up, but I made it. I had made it again! To relative safety. Any type of safety was good enough for me, though.

There were more of those creatures around my pew. Some were on the ground, glaring at me malevolently, and others were gathering around the pew and rocking it. For some reason, they really wanted to get to me.

I counted eight feet. Four of them. I just had to out-run four of them. I wish I could tell you that I had been in track or soccer or basketball, and therefore knew how to run fast, but sadly I wasn't. The only sport I was in was volleyball. No running required for that sport. How cliché would that be if I was in track, anyway?

Man, was I wishing I had taken track, though.

Like I said, wishing gets you nowhere.

The ones that had been on the ground watching me no longer were. I decided now was my time to act. But this time, they most likely were going to have backward and forward blocked off. What about the edges of the pew, though? What if I slipped through the side of my temporary salvation?

It was worth a shot, and I was not going to give up and stay trapped like a rat. I was going to try to get out of there and give them Hell before they ate me or killed me or whatever.

I started to crawl toward the end of the pew, always keeping my eyes on the creatures. I wanted to make sure that when they got down to see where I was, if they were going to, they would see that I wasn't moving. Maybe I would scream so they'd think I was scared stiff.

Or something.

They never got down to see me, though. They were all trying to up heave the pew from it's place on the ground. I was nearly to the edge, and I could see the little path. I would have to get out into the open and get up to my feet and run like hell before they could tackle me.

Once at the side of the pew, I bunched my muscles, mentally prepared myself, then launched out from under the pew. I skidded to a stop, leaped to my feet, and bolted. I was greeted by angry cries. I never once looked back, though. Never look back. That was also something I had learned from tv. Movies, actually. My love of horror movies was coming in handy. Those people in the movies were always so stupid. Now was my chance to show them how it's really done. Gotta keep looking ahead, gotta watch your footsteps and make sure you don't trip.

It didn't help.

When I was nearly to the door and most hopefully my freedom and safety, another one of those dumb monsters fell through the portal, turned to me, and snarled. I squealed, tried to stop, and ended up slipping on the blood-covered floor, falling backward.

Something rammed into my back before I could actually fall. I was thrown up and over one of the creatures and landed harder on my ass than I would have if I had just fallen.

Looking back on this event, there were several things I could have done different in that moment. Like, keep running and dodge when the stupid monster dove for me or something. Alas, I hadn't, and so now this happened.

I was dazed and in pain. The only thing that kept me in my senses was the blood on the ground and the creatures swarming around me. They had me circled and surrounded. I looked up at them and waited. Just waited. There was nothing else for me to do. I had no chance to escape now.

A male walked up to the circle and shoved a female out of the way. They walked weird. . . Like in long strides, and they were always leaned forward a little. All of them were still making those weird screeching sounds. He looked down at me, glaring, then lunged for me.

I screamed, which only seemed to satisfy him more. I tried to crawl back, but he was already on me.

"No, no, no! Please!" I cried, unsure of anything else to do.

Pain lanced up my shoulder. The monster had sunk his teeth into my right biceps as I had lifted my arm to protect my face. His hands were on either side of me, one on my left shoulder and his other hand on my right side. The screeches from the creatures around us grew louder and seemingly triumphant.

Suddenly, a loud shotgun round echoed and I heard a thump through my pain. One of the creatures in the circle had fallen to the gunshot. Everyone turned to the door, including the one that had a hold of my arm. I looked around him to see a group of three people. The one in the middle was the one with the shotgun. Actually, it looked more like an AK-47.

I watched a lot of movies.

The two men next to AK-47 Man each pulled out a hand gun and started to shoot. I squealed and got down on the ground. The middle man started to fire off rounds of his gun, also. The creatures screeched angrily and commenced with escaping by any means necessary. In other words, they shoved each other out of the way and jumped out windows.

Vicious little things.

"Are you alright?" the man with the giant gun called, his comrades running over to me. I took the time to notice that all three were wearing military uniforms.

I sat up, holding my arm. "Y-yeah. I think so. Just a flesh wound," I insisted.

"Bite!" one man yelled, rounding his gun on me.

"Hey, woah, woah!" I yelped, backing up and holding my hands protectively over me. "Wait! He– I– What's going on?!"

The two men stared at me and the guy with the shotgun walked toward me. His gun wasn't focused on me like the other two, but I could tell by the way he was holding it he would be ready to shoot me if he saw fit.

"Do you watch the news?" he asked me.

I scoffed. "Yeah. I'm 18. I have no interest in what's going on in the outside world. When something good was finally going to be on the news, my mom and dad wouldn't let me watch it. Lotta good that did me. How'd you guys find me, anyway?"

"We heard screaming and happened to be walking by," the AK-47 man said.

"Alright. So what's going on?"

"There's a virus going around. It's killing people and infecting people," another man informed me. There was something more in the way he said "infecting."

My eyes widened and I stared at him in bewilderment. "Is that what those things were? Infected people? Is that what became air-borne? What's going to happen to me?" I demanded.

"Well, you could either die, become one of those things, or just stay the same," the third man said, sounding as if he didn't really believe that was going to be the case.

Hope flared in my chest. "I could be immune?" I cried, standing up. I was still holding my arm, trying to stop it from bleeding the best I could.

"But more than likely you'll die. Or be turned into one of those things. Less than one percent are immune. I'll count on you turning into one of those things before you don't show any symptoms," the first guy muttered, his hand gun still pointed at my head.

"Hold your horses, Jason. We don't want to kill an innocent person. We need all the humans we can get."

"Please, just get me out of this town! There's a chance I could be immune, right? Please! Just give me the chance to fight off the virus. But, by all means, if I start eying your arm, shoot me."

The two men looked at the other, who was obviously the leader of this three-man team. Their guns were still pointed at me, but I couldn't blame them. I'd be a little suspicious after seeing those things in action.

"What do you think, Ben?" the other guy asked.

Ben thought for a second. His AK-47 was hanging at his side. "I don't see why not. She's not growling at us yet and her eyes aren't blood-shot, yet. I say we get her to the bridges. We still have thirty minutes before they close off all exits."

I exhaled in relief, relaxing considerably. "Thank you. . . "

"Yeah, but don't make me regret it. The second you start making weird noises or start looking suspicious, I'll have to shoot you."

"Please do. I'd rather you shoot me than become one of those monsters."

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**End of Chapter Two. I think I'll go up to Chapter Four and then wait to see what people think before I continue. *nods* Already, let's review! ^___^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Three**

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That was a tough few minutes for me. I still remember it like it was yesterday. . . But now I have to move on.

But first, a little bit on how my night went.

One of the Infected found me while I was navigating the streets in my 2009 Camaro. Pretty little canary yellow muscle car. Being one of the only people left on Manhattan, maybe even the world, I had my choice of any car I wanted, and I could pump gas without paying for it. I didn't even need to go to one of those old gas pumps where you could pay afterward. Dr. Neville had them rigged so we could pump whenever we wanted.

I solved that problem when I walked. If where I had to go wasn't very far from one of stop, I'd walk. Muscle cars were gas guzzlers. Of course, I also a pretty little candy-apple red Hybrid Escape. For those long trips. They got, like. . . Great gas mileage and I didn't have to worry about gas in that thing for months.

I do so love my Camaro, though. It's modeled after the Camaro from Transformers. Bumblebee? That was a good movie. 2007. One of the better ones. And the new Camaro was. . . The only way to describe it is sexy. Seriously. Machine or not, it was one sexy vehicle.

I regret saying that 2009 was the last year any new cars were made, any new designs, any upgrades on older cars. It's currently 2012.

Before this all happened, I had had a car. I'll mention it later. I'd had my license since I was 16. I was one of those people who couldn't wait to get my license, get a job, a car, and a way out of my house. I really wanted my own place. I had longed to be independent and not rely on my parents.

I digress. I didn't start this thing to talk about cars and other things. Back to the Infected who found me. . .

So I'm driving along, right? This lone– though he probably wasn't really all that alone, they never traveled alone– Infected man had leaped outta nowhere and had landed on my hood. I had been going slow, trying to find the house I was supposed to rummage through, so my car was unharmed, I was glad to find. A little dirty, but that was easy to take care of.

I had gotten out of my pretty little car– yeah, I'm very proud of my Camaro– and stood with my hands on my hips. The Infected guy had jumped off of my car and lunged for me. . .

But I sent him packing before he even touched me.

How? Why? You'll know later on– I don't want to ruin the surprise, like I said I didn't want at the beginning of chapter two. You'll just have to deal.

Dr. Neville was very impressed by my tale when I got home that morning. I had managed to find something practical for once, too; a set of three kerosene lamps. He was happy about that, too, and forgot all about my little encounter.

I started writing this chapter that morning, trying to get a head before I went to sleep. I also ate some dinner. . . Dr. Neville's breakfast; powdered eggs and hash browns. Dr. Neville like to save his meat for special occasions or emergencies. Meat was hard to find, even in the department stores.

But right now it's about nine o'clock. I only have a few more hours, so I suppose I should continue with my story, now. You're probably dying to know what happened next, right? I knew it.

I've decided I'm going to end my little diary entries, or whatever your want to call them the same way. I want to emphasize the impact of it, I want everyone to know that things could go wrong at any minute, and this chapter could be my last.

So. . .

I hope that I live long enough to finish this. I hope that it can have a happy ending, but, not everyone lives happily ever after.

* * *

We didn't travel by car. The bridges weren't very far from the church. In New York, the best way to travel was by foot, anyway. Traffic was a bitch, and it would be even more so with a state-wide panic and with everyone in a frenzy to get off of the island.

It was Manhattan Island. Those bridges were the only things keeping us here that wasn't completely clogged up by traffic or cop blockades.

People were being blocked from leaving by bridge. That didn't bode well. Instead, families were being evacuated by ship and helicopter. It was complete disarray as people shoved others out of their way, trying to get to the militia men blocking their escape. They had weird little hand-held devices that they were using to scan people. When it flashed green, they let people through, but when it flashed red, they were pushed to the side and not allowed in.

They really didn't want people to get through that line if they were infected.

"Look, I'm not gonna make it through that line. Just go, I'll stay here. I have a dog that needs taking car of, anyway," I suggested to the men, starting to walk away from them. "Just get away from here. Go help others."

It didn't look like they were going to follow me, so I was left alone to go back to my empty house. I was just going to get a few things, see if my dog was going to be kind to me, then go find somewhere else to live. Another house. Living in my current one would not be good. Not with my family dead. I wouldn't want to think too much about them, I wouldn't want to remember them too hard. For an 18-year-old, it would have been very hard.

I didn't get very far before I heard jets overhead. I stopped moving and turned to look at the bridges. . . Jets _were_ flying, and really close to the ground, too. I didn't think pilots would do that. But they were, and soon, like two minutes later, they flew by overhead again and shot missiles at the bridges. They shuddered and cracked and. . . collapsed.

They had taken down the bridges. Now the only escape was the ships and helicopters. It didn't look like they were going to be sticking around much longer, either.

A medical evacuation chopper, all orange and gleaming in the impromptu street lamps, was lifting off. I watched it for a little bit, wondering what the people were thinking inside that helicopter.

Then, I heard screams. I turned toward the sound of it and saw some people. . . Some extremely pale people, jump the helicopter as it was lifting off. They clung doggedly to the landing gear and dangled. The chopper couldn't take the weight. It started to spin out of control as it tried to fly. . . Started to spin right toward the medical helicopter. I watched, as a person with no control over a catastrophe watches, as the military chopper collided with the medical chopper.

More screams as fire burst into the air and small pieces, well, small from my vantage point, plummeted to the water below. All was silent for a few seconds, maybe even a minute.

Only when the silence passed did I realize that my hand was over my mouth. I didn't bother taking it away. I just turned and ran in the general direction of my house. I couldn't imagine it. . . Thinking that you're going to be free. Going to make it out. . .

Eventually, I had to stop to get my breath back. I was way out of sight of the demolished bridges by now. There was no one on the street I was on. Everyone was at the docks, trying to escape. I wasn't so sure they had much a chance of that, now that two helicopters had been taken down.

So, on I walked toward my little three-story house. It was all I could think to do. I had no where else to go, and I sure as Hell wasn't going to go to my friends' houses to see how they were. How would I react to what I found? And what If I did turn into one of those Infected people? I wouldn't want to attack my friends. . . I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for their deaths. . .

I reached my house, used my key to get inside, and was greeted enthusiastically by Cassie. She didn't seem afraid of me and genuinely happy to see me. That was a good thing, wasn't it? Didn't that mean I wasn't infected? I wasn't sure, but those things were frightening. If I was a dog, I wouldn't want one near me.

"Hey, Cass," I greeted her, kneeling down and slowly reaching out for her with my hand. Her tongue was lolled happily and she licked my hand. That was definitely a good thing.

She barked at me and sat back on her hind legs, her head cocked to one side. That normally meant that she was hungry. It was her begging pose. I sighed and stroked the top of her head. "Alright. I'll feed you."

Cassie tilted her head the other way and followed me faithfully into the kitchen, where I pulled her food dish out of the cupboard and filled it with two cups of her dry dog food. Eukanuba. My mom only wanted the best for our family friend and companion. It got expensive, but my mom said it was worth it.

She lied down on her stomach and started to munch on her food. I turned the tv on for her while I went into the bathroom. I wanted to change and wash off all of the blood on my arm and back by taking a shower. I set the shower up, then walked into my room to pick out my clothes. I looked around my room, trying to decide what all I would take with me, what I could salvage.

Then I had to get the shower, though. I didn't want to run all of the hot water out. I undressed and stepped into the soothing hot water. It was relaxing against my tense muscles and I felt so much more at ease. That all went down the drain– almost literally– when I started to scrub my skin raw to get the blood off of my arm. It hurt for a while, but I really wanted that blood off of my arm. I would wrap it when I got out of the shower, and hopefully that would help it heal faster.

For my back though, I just stood in the shower and turned the nozzle onto a sort of jet mode so it could shoot off any dried or caked-on blood.

Inescapably, my hot water ran out within 20 minutes. I was not going to stand in cold water either. I decided I was clean enough, so I stepped out of the shower and towel-dried off, then dressed. I did not put on my pajama shirt, though. I needed to be able to dress my wound and my shirt would only make that more difficult.

So, I walked into my parents' room and around my house with just pants and an undershirt on. I wasn't really all that worried. We always had the blinds closed in my house, and I was alone in my own home, plus, I was sure Cassie didn't really care. We were both girls, weren't we? It wasn't the same thing, I know, but deal.

Under their bathroom sink was what I was looking for; the first aid kit and a big tube of Neosporin. I would have to remember to bring that along with me. I fished out of the kit a roll of gauze and some medical tape. It was kind of hard, getting the wound on my arm fixed with one hand, but I managed it after several minutes. The wrappings weren't as tight as I would have liked them to be, but it would do.

Then, Cassie started barking. I pulled my shirt on and ran to where she was. This was not her normal people-are-on-my-turf bark. Her voice was deep, she sounded almost scared, like she was trying to intimidate something that frightened her, and her voice was coming from deep in her chest. This was the bark that told me something was terribly wrong.

"Cassie? Cassie– no!" I commanded, walking to the window and peeking through the shades.

Life really sucks sometimes.

Even with the dark I could tell that they were pale. The Infected were walking toward my house, on my street. I couldn't tell how many there were or if they were headed only for my house, but I wasn't going to wait around to find out.

"Get away from the window, Cassie," I told her quietly. She looked up at me and whimpered. "C'mon. Let's go."

I grabbed her collar so she couldn't escape and led her to my parents' rather large bathroom and locked her in, then started my mad dash to turn off all of the lights. I so did not want those things coming after me because they thought someone was home.

When I was satisfied that all of the lights were off and it looked like no one was home, I ran silently back to my parents' room, shut the door behind me and locked it, then joined my dog in the bathroom and locked us in. I climbed into the bathroom and drew the shower curtains shut so I wouldn't be at all visible. I'm sure it really wouldn't have worked, but I was willing to try.

Cassie whined then started to growl. We could hear their screeching by now, and it wasn't helping Cassie at all. I was afraid she would alert them to our position, so I pulled the curtains back and located her. She was between the sink and toilet, cowering.

"C'mere, Cassie. Cassie, come," I whispered, snapping my fingers and leaning out of the bathtub. It got her quiet, but she didn't move, so I turned on the baby-talk. "It's ok, girl. You're such a good little doggy! C'mon. Come here, girl!"

It got results. She stood up and jumped into the bathtub with me. Cassie started licking my face and walking all over me, but I stopped that by grabbing her and forcing her to the floor of the tub, embracing her, my hand around her muzzle to keep her from barking.

"Sh-h. . . ," I cooed in her ear, stroking her with my free hand. "Be quiet, girl. Be quiet."

The Infected started to get close, and so, in turn, the noises grew louder. I clenched my eyes shut, always petting Cassie to reassure her. She stayed quiet, not even whining, and that made me think that maybe she knew what was going on and that the need for silence was crucial. Dogs were smart, and I was glad Cassie was no exception.

While I lied in that bathtub, I kept willing the Infected to keep moving. I kept hoping they'd pass my house without so much as a second glance. I kept thinking that if they didn't, I might not be as lucky as the last time. I kept thinking that I wouldn't make it out alive this time.

My hopes were gratefully fulfilled. The sounds became fainter and dimmer with every passing minute. When everything was quiet, I waited until Cassie's ears relaxed and she seemed at ease. Even after she started to wiggle her little butt a little– she didn't have a tail, so she had to wag her whole behind– I didn't leave for an extra minute or so. I wanted to be extra careful. I wanted to make sure they wouldn't come back.

Finally, I realized exactly how hungry I really was. My stomach was growling and it hurt with hunger pain. I left my hiding place and turned on only one light– the overhead kitchen light. It was all I needed to make my food, and I really didn't want something to notice the lights on.

I fixed myself some sandwiches– two, actually– then picked a spot to sit at my table in the dark to eat. Cassie stayed by feet the entire time I ate, and she never once made a sound, even though I could ear other dogs in the distance howling and yapping away. It was very good of her, and she had really good self control and I was proud of her.

"Good girl, Cassie. You did so great! You're such a good girl. Good girl!" I praised her, giving her a quarter of one of my sandwiches. She ate it rather noisily and stared up at me for more.

"No, no more. You've already had dinner," I reminded her through a bite of ham. She whined quietly and sat back on her hind legs, begging again. She just looked so cute. I rolled my eyes and tore off some of the crust for her. "Fine, but that's all you get."

It was only nine o'clock. My family always went to the early service so Sadie could get to bed on time. Since I had gotten home, I had kept my gaze away from the living room. That was where we kept the Christmas tree. I had gotten everyone a present; Olivia a new throw blanket, Reese a picture frame for his desk, and a new teddy bear for Sadie.

None of them were going to be opened this year. No one was going to get excited or even fake their excitement. There would be no thanks. I was not going to get thanks, but I didn't regret buying those presents. No, I didn't.

So, I wouldn't look at the Christmas tree. I was not ready to mourn yet. I was not ready to cry over them. I wanted to, but I wasn't ready. There were things to do and preparations to be made. I had to pack, I had to do some salvaging, and I definitely needed to sleep. There would be plenty of time to mourn later.

But not now. Not tonight.

Tomorrow I would open my presents. Just mine. I wanted to know if maybe there was anything for me to use. Anything practical or for entertainment. I would definitely need a lot of things to keep me entertained while I was sitting alone in an empty house.

I thought about just staying at my house. I had what I needed here. Shelter, good, heat, electricity. It would have saved me a lot of moving, but I just couldn't stay. I had to leave. I had to get out. My family had never moved from this house. I grew up in it. It had too many memories that I would not be able to handle.

So, I would have to leave. It obviously wasn't going to be safe at all to travel at night, so I would take Cassie in the morning and leave. After packing, of course. I'd need a few things, still. I'd pick out a nice abandoned house and just move in. Of course it would already be furnished. People wouldn't make a mad dash to escape the island with their chairs. I'd just have to bring in my clothes and do a few renovations. I could come back to my house whenever I wanted to get something I needed when that something in the house I moved in didn't have it or it was old and rundown.

That was a lot to do. I sat on my bed before I began what packing I could before I fell asleep, and I thought about just staying. It would be so much easier. I wouldn't have to worry about finding a place. I wouldn't have to worry about lugging around a suitcase or something. I could just stay. . .

Cassie walked over to my bed and jumped up to start licking my face. I pushed her away and she lied down, sensing that something was wrong. She cocked her head and began to slightly wag her fluffy behind.

I looked over to her and set my hand on her head. "I don't want to leave, Cassie. What do you think?" I asked her, rubbing the top of her head. She stood back up and whimpered, circling around once before lying back down and putting her head on her paws.

"You don't want to leave, either, do you?" I whispered, stroking her head to tail. She was right up against my leg, nuzzling me a little bit. She whimpered again and set her head on my leg, looking up at me from the top of her eyes.

I couldn't take it. Why did she have to be so cute?

"Fine. We'll stay for a few days. But if things start getting iffy and dangerous, we're getting out of here. Got that?" I said sternly, crossing my arms. She perked her head up and her tongue lolled. Also, her butt started to wag even more fiercely. I knew she liked this idea a lot.

That is, if she even understood what I was saying.

Sighing, I got up and made sure all of the lights were out and all of the doors and windows were locked. I also went and made sure all of the curtains and blinds were drawn, including all of the rooms. Once the house was locked down tight, I put on my pajamas, called Cassie back into my room, and locked us in.

"Try to get some sleep, Cassie," I whispered to her, getting under my covers. She jumped up on my bed and lied right next to me. I was glad I had a big bed: without it Cassie most likely would have kicked me off. "Remember, silence. Stay quiet," I reminded her before trying to get some sleep.

It was hard: every sound from outside startled me and made me jump. Cassie was a good girl, though. She stayed quiet no matter what happened. She seemed to comfort me, too, whenever I started she licked my face and moving closer to me as if to say, "It's alright, Lex! It's nothing bad. I'll protect you." I'd always pat her head and tell her thanks and that I was fine.

Noises weren't the only thing that was keeping me awake. The events from the past few hours kept replaying in my head. . . Especially the church. Those were the worst. I couldn't get out of my mind that they had all died. . . All of them had been killed while I hid under that pew.

But, the worst thing of all, was the fact that the last thing I had done with my parents was argue with them. I hadn't said a nice thing to them since we had reached the church, and I had even commented about their lack of action and called them "stupid and selfish." It hadn't been a very good last meeting, and I regretted it.

No matter how hard I tried, how much I didn't want to, I cried that night. I had told myself that now wasn't the time to mourn, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. My mind wandered too far at night when I was trying to sleep. I supposed it was better to get it out when I wasn't doing anything rather than when I was trying to get something done. That way, I'd actually get something done.

So, it took several hours for me to actually get to sleep. It wasn't very good sleep, but any sleep made the difference.

* * *

**Great! Chapter Three. One more chapter for now until I can get some reviews and whatever else. ^^ Much thanks! Now. . . on to chapter Four!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chatper Four**

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* * *

  
**

Well, I made it through another night. Dr. Neville made it through, too. He's the one I worry about, but he's a tough guy. He'd been living alone for a year with just his dog and his house.

Speaking of his dog, I'd like to talk about Samantha now. She's about three years old. Yeah, she was a puppy when all of this began. Cassie was already two. Sam. . . She is a _very_ well-trained dog. She listens very well. She and Dr. Neville are in perfect harmony. She knows an array of commands and can follow them without hesitation. She knows to stay away from the dark, and she knows to alert Dr. Neville when the coast is clear or it isn't.

She is also a very friendly dog. At night before I leave I often give her loads of attention, and she loves every bit of it. Neville doesn't mind me playing ball with her outside in the dusk for a little while, but he won't allow me to take her out at night. Not that I would. Such a dog would be a loss to the world.

And to Dr. Neville.

I could tell he really loves that dog. She seems to be his entire world. I could often hear him talk to her about their activities of the day, and he scolds her when she's done something reckless. He talks to her for hours before he goes to sleep.

I only know this from my nights off, like when I hurt myself. . . I hadn't been paying attention and tripped. . . My arm got quite the nasty cuts and I had twisted my ankle in the process. . . But I still hadn't come home until after the sun had risen a good distance over the horizon. Dr. Neville was very proud of me, needless to say, and that was why I got a night off.

I watched movies. . . And did practically nothing else. . . Worst night ever. I would rather have been walking around– well, limping around– and risked being killed. . . All of the movies I had seen three or four times. . . That's what's going to happen when no new movies had come out in the past three years: your choices get thin rather quickly.

But anyway. . . Cassie. Cassie was a very good dog, too. She was all I had for a while, too. . . Then things out of my control happened. . . And then more things happened that I rather wish hadn't. . . But that's all in the past and you'll hear– or read– all about those said things later. I won't bore you with a quick summary now. Wouldn't be at all fun.

Well, I should move on. I've run out of things to bore you with. Nothing at all out of the ordinary happened last night. I won't tire you with my meaningless blather. I'm sure you'd appreciate it.

I hope that I live long enough to finish this. I hope that it can have a happy ending, but, not everyone lives happily ever after.

* * *

Very loud and obnoxious sounds woke me up that morning. I had gotten barely any sleep, so that made the noises even more irritating. Most of the racket was coming from the barking Cassie, but a minority of it was also originating from outside of my house. Voices and car horns and people walking rather close to my house– so close, in fact, that I could hear their conversations. Cassie was barking angrily at them, telling them to go away and leave her house alone.

"Cassie. . . Just shut up. . . ," I groaned, sitting up, throwing off my blankets, and stretching. She walked away from my door and sat at my feet, looking up at me pleadingly and whimpered.

"You need to go out, don't you?" I asked her, looking down at her and yawning. Cassie stood up and her tongue fell out of her mouth. Her fluffy rump starting up at about the same time.

I took a quick glance at the clock, then cursed the people outside making all of the babble: it was seven-thirty in the morning. I was only up that early for school, and school was probably not going to be back in session.

"Pandemonium and chaos are not good excuses for waking people up from their sleep. Some people still like to sleep in. . . ," I muttered irritably, getting up off my bed, stretching once again, and started my walk to the back door, Cassie at my heels, and let her outside so she could bark and run around and do some more barking among some other things.

"Don't you go talking to strangers!" I yelled after her sarcastically as she went to her carefree frolicking. I left her out there, the door locked, while I had my breakfast; a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Actually, I had like, three bowls. I was really hungry again. I supposed those two sandwiches hadn't quite been enough.

Once Cassie had had enough of barking at the people and probably their dogs, too, as well as being outside all together– it was really kind of cold outside, being winter and all– she sat at the back door and whined until I came around to letting her back inside the house, which was after I was dressed. I locked the door once again after she was back inside and happy.

I turned on the tv to see what was on, or what was going on. Every channel was news. Every single channel. Finally, after a whole lot of channel surfing, I just picked a channel and left it there. The news reporter was a woman sitting at her desk and looking solemn and depressed. I ignored her for the most part, seeing as all she was talking about was how "we're going to stay on air for as long as we can to give the people. . . " Blah blah blah. I walked over to the window to see what all the hubbub was about.

There were hoards and hoards of people just walking in the street. All of them were going the same direction; east. They were walking through yards, too, and that included mine. Some had kids with them, some had cats and dogs with them, too. Pet-lovers. That's fine. I would have brought mine, too. A lot of people had been trying to drive around with their cars, but had failed and just parked them in the middle of street. That explained the car horns, so somewhere between me waking up and going to the window they had all given up.

"Thanks, people," I muttered, shaking my head. "Now I'm not going to be able to my car out so I can drive places once you all have finally cleared out of my neighborhood. Stupid people. . . "

". . . about a virus?"

That caught my attention fairly well. I whipped around from the window, the blinds clattering shut, and flew to the tv, quickly turning it up before I could miss anything. I had remembered seeing this news broadcast before. The station had to have been replaying it for the benefit of everyone who was alive.

"Indeed, yes. In this case the measles, um, virus which has been engineered at a genetic level to be helpful rather than harmful. Um, I find the best way to describe it is if you can. . . if you can image your body as a highway, and you picture the virus as a very fast car, um, being driven by a very bad man. Imagine the damage that car can cause. Then if you replace it with a cop. . . the picture changes. And that's essentially what we've done," a blonde explained.

"And how many people have you treated so far?" the news personality asked.

"Well, we've had ten thousand and nine clinical trials in humans so far," the woman said, nodding.

"And how many are cancer-free?"

"Ten thousand and nine."

I gaped. Ten thousand and nine out of ten thousand and nine? This cure had a one hundred percent success rate?

"So you have actually cured cancer," the anchor woman pointed out, barely holding back the awe in her voice.

The blonde woman nodded. "Yes, yes. . . yes, we have."

Cured cancer? What? I _had_ seen this news report earlier this year, maybe a few months ago, but I hadn't really believed it. I had thought that it was just too good to really be true. Or last. Things like that, curing cancer, it never really worked, did it? Why were they bringing it up again?

"That was three months ago. Dr. Alice Krippin's Viragen Virus had been made from a strain of the measles virus to fight off cancer and become the cure. And it did just that; in a test of ten thousand and nine willing subjects, all of them were cancer-free. The KV-virus cured cancer.

"But at what price?" the anchor woman went on, her voice flat and heavy with sorrow and. . . maybe fear? "It remained as such; a virus. A virus unlike any other we have come across in thousands of years. It can kill its victims, or it can turn them into savage monsters hungry for human blood. A very small percentage is immune to the KV-Virus. Whoever may be watching this broadcast is probably the small few that are immune.

"Just weeks ago, the KV-Virus had jumped– now we no longer have to just watch out for the contact strain, but also the airborne strain."

So it _had_ been too good to be true. I had thought right. Cancer had been cured indeed, but at a very steep price. I almost thought most people would rather have cancer than have unleashed this horrible virus onto the world.

"A warning to all; the Infected have a sort of allergy to the sunlight. They hunt exclusively at night and are extremely, I repeat, _extremely_ dangerous! We advise everyone who doesn't wish to face one of these things to get indoors well before the sun sets and stay inside at all costs after the sun has set. Also, during the day, stay away from buildings that have no way to get sun inside of it. That's where they like to hide."

Well, that was pretty much a no-brainer. I sat down on the couch and stared intently at the screen. Cassie jumped onto the couch next to me and licked my face. I pushed her away and sated her by patting her on the head and stroking her back.

"There is no cure. Scientists are working around the clock, but. . . We have lost contact with several of the labs. . . We fear the worst," the woman paused to swallow hard and probably gain control of her emotions. "There is, however, one military scientist in Manhattan that chose to stay behind and try to make a cure. One Dr. Robert Neville, an immune."

I tilted my head. Someone stayed on purpose? Of course I had, too. . . but I had stayed because I had been bitten. I didn't think I was going to make it through that scanner thing. That was why I stayed. I could kind of see why he was staying, trying to make a cure. The island was completely quarantined now. If he did find a promising cure, the Infected wouldn't be going anywhere. Infinite amount of specimens.

A knock on my door jolted me back into real life. Cassie barked once, then jumped off the couch and ran to the door. She kept barking, and I turned down the tv and walked to the door.

"Cassie, shush!" I demanded, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her away from the door so I could open it without knocking her head against it. A man and a woman were standing before me, each carrying about two bags, maybe three. I gave them a questioning look and leaned against my door. "Hi. . .?"

"Oh! Someone _is _home," the woman gasped before I had even finished my confused greeting. "Why are you still here, honey? Where are your parents?"

My parents. . . I could feel my eyes start to water and my nose started to feel all scratchy. They had engendered more crying from me. Way to go, lady. Way. To. Go.

Apparently the look on my face was all she needed to figure out what I wasn't saying. "Oh, dear, I'm sorry! I–."

I shook my head and wiped away the tears. "No, it's ok. I'm fine. Was there something that I could do for you?" I asked kindly, opening the door further and gesturing for them to come in. They nodded and walked so I could close the door. Cassie greeted them by running around at their feet and whining.

"Well, we were just– Trying to see if anyone wanted to come with our little convoy," the man asked after a second. I thought maybe that wasn't the real reason by the feeling I got from the pause, but I wasn't about to argue.

"Where are you going? We're quarantined. The island is completely cut off from the rest of the state. There isn't anywhere _to_ go," I pointed out, crossing my arms casually. Cassie sat down and cocked her head to the side. If she hadn't been sitting, I was sure her butt would have been wiggling most comically.

"We just don't think that it's smart to stay in one place for too long with those things out there. They're bound to find us if we stay in one position. We decided there's safety in numbers, too. That's why we're all leaving at the same time," the woman explained eagerly, like she really wanted me to come with them or something. "You could bring your dog with you! Lot's of people have their dogs. This one lady has her parrot with her."

I sighed. "I don't think that's right. I'm going to stay here."

They both looked at me in bewilderment. "What? But why? There are tons of people out there. Maybe some friends of yours. We have lots of kids your age traveling with us. And with such great numbers we can protect each other!"

Smiling at them, I shook my head again. "No, with so many people you're just making it easy for them to pick out the young, the elderly, and the sick. You guys are making yourselves a walking target. By moving from place to place, your antagonizing them with the thrill of the hunt. I'm going to stay right here. Thank you anyway, though."

The couple looked at each other. "We're sorry you feel that way. . . But if we can't change your mind. . . ," the woman said.

"You can't."

"Alright. Then we'll just leave you alone, then," the man resigned, putting his hands on his wife's shoulders and leading her to the front door. I strode in front of them to open the door for them, and bade them good-luck before they had left.

Cassie looked up at me, her head cocked to one side.

"What? It's true. They're all going to be eaten sooner or later. That is, if they don't get infected and die first. . . ," I muttered, going back to sit on the couch.

The anchor woman just kept going on and on about the same things over and over. She was like a broken record. The channel also kept replaying the video with the brilliant woman who "discovered the cure to cancer." If she got the Nobel Physiology or Medicine Prize, I hope they took it away from her. Cured cancer. . . Thanks a lot, lady.

I don't know why, but at that moment I was overcome with great anger. It just grew and grew as I watched more of the news. That stupid woman. . . She looked so smug and proud of herself. Did she know what her virus was capable of? Most likely she didn't, but she did now! That is, if she wasn't eaten alive by those ten thousand human specimens that she had practiced on.

But it wouldn't have been all ten thousand. . . Most of them would have died. . . A few of them would have been immune. . . Those who would have been turned most likely ate those who were immune. That is, if they weren't released into the public. If they had been released to go home, it would have been their families they killed. Their friends.

How long did it take for humans to convert into those Infected things, anyway? Minutes? Obviously not. If I hadn't been immune, that would have happened already. Hours? Most likely not, otherwise I would have turned, too. If I wasn't immune. Days? That would seem likely, for if I wasn't immune, I would be turning sometimes soon. I really hoped it was a matter of minutes or hours. Hours seemed more likely. . . The virus would need time to incubate and reproduce and actually take over. . .

Tired of watching the news, I got up to watch the people, watch them and make sure they didn't do anything illegal to my property. . . Just because we were all diseased and stuff didn't give them the right to do whatever they wanted.

A lot of people had masks over their faces, trying to keep from breathing our intoxicated air. As far as I could see, the crowd of people wasn't going to end any time soon. Was this all that was left in Manhattan? It looked like quite a few people didn't make it off the island. . . Were some of them infected?

I got my answer when three people, one man and two women, just collapsed on the ground. Some people screamed, one or two people kneeled down to see how they were, but most people just gave them a wide berth. I sighed. How many more of those people were going to die?

More screams erupted throughout the crowd and people started to jump over each other into lawns, climbing over each other and trampling each other to get out of the street. Cassie started to yip and bark and whimper, which didn't bode well. What could be going on out there that had so many people screaming? It was day, so the Infected shouldn't be out yet.

"Stay, Cassie!" I commanded, running to the door and flinging it open. The window was no longer sufficient enough to watch from: whatever was going on was to the extreme left of my house and I couldn't see. I closed the door before she could disobey and ran to where the commotion was. I wanted to see what was going on.

It was hard fighting the crowd, but eventually I made it to the sidewalk and stood there on the edge of it. In the middle of the street a human, who looked male, was hunched over, screeching and making other unholy, pain-filled sounds. What was wrong with him?

"Girl, get away from there!" someone shouted behind me. I looked behind me, but couldn't tell who it was that said it. When I looked back, the guy who definitely was no longer human was running at me. He had been wearing an over-sized red hooded sweatshirt, and the hood was draped over his head and around his face, protecting him from most of the suns rays.

Running at me was an Infected.

"Oh shi–," I started to gasp. The Infected's angry roar stopped me short. No one was moving to help me. I didn't blame them. Who would jump in front of this thing? I wouldn't.

It was like watching this from a distance. I knew the Infected was coming for me and would most likely kill me if he got his hands on me, but I was too afraid to move. I was too afraid to do anything about it. All I could do was watch, while in the back of my head I was trying to force myself to move. I kept telling myself that if I didn't move, I would be a dead girl. Who would take care of Cassie?

When I had finally snapped out of it, he was almost on me. I managed to let a little gasp escape me and take a step or two back, but there was no getting away for me now. He was going to get me, and nothing anybody including me was going to be able to do about it.

Suddenly, right before he was going to pounce, the Infected stopped. He just stopped dead right in front of me. He snarled and his mouth hung open slightly as he leaned forward and looked me over. I stood completely still and the entire neighborhood seemed to go silent as our strange little stand-off commenced. The Infected man continued to look me over and pant. Then he growled and backed away from me slowly. It reminded me of the way I would have backed away from him.

The thing that confused me the most was that it looked like _he_ was confused. He backed away from me, crouched over, and he was making a weird noise that almost reminded me of some animal trying to intimidate another. After a few more minutes of hesitation, the Infected turned to run away. When he started to run, though, his hood was blown back away from his balding head and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

I still stood there, staring at him as he writhed and wriggled, screeching and hollering in pain. I had no clue what had just happened, as I was frozen with my confusion and fear. Someone eventually came over to me, though, and pulled me back, snapping me out of my trance.

"Wha–?" I gasped as the person grabbed me by the shoulders and started to drag me backwards.

"It's alright. I'm getting you away from the thing." From the voice I knew it was guy. He pulled me away from the street and I was suddenly surrounded by a giant crowd, people wanting to know if I was alright, people wanting to know what had just happened.

"Give her some room!" someone yelled.

"Yeah," another agreed. "Give her some time to catch her breath!"

I slowly got down on the ground, still staring at the writhing Infected. "Shouldn't someone. . . Put him out of his misery?" I muttered.

Everyone turned their head to the Infected, then back to me, seemingly bewildered by my request. "Why? He was just about to eat you. Why would you want to be humane with him?"

"He _used_ to be human. It's not his fault," I replied distractedly. He was screeching and had his hands over his head, still writhing. His head was smoking slightly, and he was curled into a tight little ball. I actually felt pity for him.

"Yeah, alright. . . Hey, someone go shoot him! He's scaring the children," someone yelled.

"How did you do that?" the boy who had dragged me to safety asked me. I looked over to him; he was kneeling next to me and looked concerned. I don't know why: I was sure we had never met before.

"Do what?"

He rolled his eyes, then took a deep breath. This guy wasn't the patient type. How great. "The thing with the Infected guy. What did you do to him to make him walk away like that? I've never seen them act like that before. "

I stared at him desperately. "I really don't know."

He leaned back a little, but seemed to accept my answer. He stood up and watched something in the distance, but I wasn't paying attention: I was staring at the ground, thinking. What had just happened? That Infected was going to be all over me. I could tell by his eyes that he was hungry for some Alexis blood. What made him back off of me like that? Did I offend?

Somewhere in my thoughts, they were shortly interrupted by the sound of gunfire. At least someone had put the poor guy out of his misery.

No matter the reason, I wasn't sure I really wanted to know. There was something about me that he hadn't liked. I'm not sure I liked that. It would come in handy, yes, if all of the Infected didn't like whatever it was about me. If they didn't and it was just this one Infected, then I would be screwed if I tried it on another one.

"Hey- Hey! Let's see if she can do it again!" someone shouted.

"What?" I demanded, wheeling around to see who had said that. A middle-aged man stepped forward, looking anxiously at me.

"Yeah! Yeah. See if you can scare another one off to see if this time wasn't just a fluke," he explained eagerly, stepping closer to me. The guy who had dragged me stepped in front of him.

"We can't do that to her. What if this was a fluke? What if she can't do it again? She'll be eaten alive!" he argued.

This guy really wanted to protect me. Did I know him? I was going to feel really bad if he started to call me by my name. . . I always hate that, people knowing who I am but having no clue who the Hell they are.

"And if it wasn't a fluke, we have a new night guard! She can scare off those creatures while we sleep!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" I demanded, standing up and putting my hands on my hips. "I will not be your cat's paw! I'm going back to my house now, and you better leave me alone! I have a dog to take care of!"

With that, I stomped off in the direction of my house, trying to emphasize finality. Who did that guy think he was? Using me like that! I was not someone's experiment, and to Hell with being stuck outside with those vicious little monsters! They'd most likely swarm all over me and then I'd be but a memory. I did _not_ want to be a memory!

Before I could make it back to my house, I was grabbed. Rather roughly. I cried out in surprise and practically pain. They had grabbed me hard! I could hear Cassie's barking through the door. She must have heard my cry and wanted to know what was going on. If only she was outside to save me. . . No, they'd probably shoot her. Good thing she was inside, then.

"What _are _you doing? Let me go! I don't wanna be some sort of experiment!" I protested. They picked me up off the ground and I started to kick my feet. "No! Put me down! I don't wanna!"

"Leave her alone!" people started to shout.

"This isn't right!" another group agreed.

The two goons who had me set me down in front of the man again. I didn't know who he was, but he was obviously respected by quite a few people. "C'mon. You'll be fine! I'm sure you're going to scare those things off again. They're all alike. We'll bring your dog with us."

"No! No, no, no, no, no! I will not! I demand that you let me go and continue with your caravanning! Just leave me alone! I don't want to be a weapon! I don't want to be the night guard! I just want to live in peace with my dog and my house and my personal items!" I ranted angrily still struggling to free myself.

"Dude, let her go!" my savior commanded, walking up next to him and staring him down viciously. "What if you were in her place?"

The guy stared at me, considering this question. "Right. . . Well, don't you want to know if you could do it again?" he asked. "I would. Tell you what; let's just find out. You don't have to stay with us, and once the night's over, you can return to your home."

"What? No! I'll still be out there all alone with the Infected! There's gotta be, like, a ton of those things out there! What if I can't do whatever it was I did again and they swarm and eat me and do terrible things to me? Huh? What then?" I demanded, trying to pull my arms free.

The man waved his hand and I was free. I turned to glare at the people who had held me and they backed away to talk among themselves. At least they had finally let me go. Stupid goons.

"Of course, since this is an experiment, we'll have people around to snipe for you if it doesn't work. We'll have you covered. We've got some people here with guns. Lot of guns. We'll have you covered," he assured me.

"And this is just for curiosity purposes?" I asked skeptically, narrowing my eyes. I could still hear Cassie barking hysterically.

The man nodded. "Yes."

I hesitated. This would actually be a pretty good thing. . . Learning what I could do. If the Infected didn't like me, then I could go out whenever I wanted to. They'd leave me alone. And even if this experiment failed, people would be around to make sure I lived hopefully. . . But this guy seemed to think that I really wasn't going to die, so could I trust him to post sentries?

Really, I wanted to know. . . Do they not like me? Am I some sort of Infected repellent?

I sighed in resignation. "Fine. Only one night, and if you don't leave me alone after that, I will lead those things to you and make sure they feast on your innards. Don't think I won't, either!"

He stared at me, probably trying to gauge on whether or not I was just threatening him idly or was going to be true to my word. The look on my face must have convinced him, for he looked genuinely threatened. "Alright. One night. And I'll have sentries posted for you. Once we find out either way, we'll bring you back."

"Deal. Now let me go back to my house and tell my dog that I am alright. She's over there barking, wondering what the Hell has happened to me."

Cassie and I were moved among the others. I would travel with them for a little while so they could get as far as they could. They were really afraid of staying in one spot for a while. Cassie loved the attention she was getting from people, and she hadn't been on a walk for a long while, so she was overly excited about that.

I would travel with them until night fall. . . Then. . . I was going to be Infected bait. It was going to be a very long and perilous night.

* * *

**Ok! So. Chapter Four! Going to give it a break for a while! I have like. . . . eighteen chapters in Part One, so there will be more to come if people want it. If not, well, then this is all she wrote! I hope you enjoy it, and there will be more action and maybe more of an explanation in time to come! *bows out***


	5. Chapter 5

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter One**

**

* * *

**Life isn't always great.

Just know people can really suck, and they're selfish and self-serving and egotistical and betrayal-prone. I'd rather live with the Infected than have most humans come back. Well, not really, but that's how I felt. . .

Anyway, I'm not just talking about last chapter when I'm saying that life isn't always great. Actually, sometimes it really sucks.

I'm talking about last night, really. I was at a house, and I had found next to nothing except some cans of food. That was the only thing Dr. Neville has continuously asked me to get. So, at least I could find something useful in that house. I had stuffed the cans in my bag and left, only to be tackled by some rogue Infected. It bit me, and I had to fight it off before it realized what it was attacking, then ran. Apparently it had just seen me walking out of the house, saw how human I looked, and reacted.

The Infected were getting hungry. They had taken out most of the humans in Manhattan. Dr. Neville and I were the only ones left. He called Manhattan "Ground Zero." I don't know why. . . But that was why he didn't leave or something like that.

Anyway, the main point is that the Infected were running out of food. It was probably making them bolder.

Also, the bite was nasty. I was bleeding pretty badly. The Infected caught me on my shoulder. That wasn't good. Bleeding was never good with Infected around, but I didn't go home right away. I couldn't. If I was bleeding, they'd follow me home. . . Then they might come and try to hurt Dr. Neville. . . I've mentioned that before.

So, I walked around and tried to find somewhere to hole my self up un until the sun started to rise. I had my over-sized black hooded sweatshirt on, so when the sun did rise I wouldn't have any problem with the sun.

I found such a hiding spot in another house. I found my way to the basement and shut and locked the door and waited for the alarm on my wrist watch to go off.

Dr. Neville had a watch just like it. He gave me mine. Well, took it from a department store, really. He said we should always be in sync.

After what seemed to be hours (and probably was), my alarm went off. I stopped the beeping and slowly got up. My limbs were stiff from sitting in the same position for hours, and I think I might have even fallen asleep. I put my hood over my face and started my trek home. It only took a few minutes to find my car. All of my cars had really dark-tinted windows for situations like this one. After that, it was only a few more minutes before I reached Dr. Neville's house. I walked in and immediately collapsed.

Sam started barking and was at my side in a minute licking my face to see if I was ok. I pushed her away and tried to get her to stay away. "No, Sam. . . No! Stay back. Get back, Sam! Robby!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Sam, go get Robert!"

Obediently, Sam ran up the stairs and didn't return for a few minutes. In those few minutes I had managed to get up and sit against the wall while I waited for help to arrive, which was only about three minutes. Dr. Neville ran down the stairs with Sam in front of him. He looked at me curiously, but that was soon replaced by concern.

"Lex?" he cried, kneeling down next to me and looking my shoulder over. "What did you do?"

I scoffed. "I didn't do a damn thing. I was leaving a house and one of them attacked me and got in one good shot."

He didn't argue with me any more, but he did go and lock Sam in his room while he dressed my wound. He poured some alcohol over it, and that coaxed some muffled screams from me. It stung! He put some bandages on it after stitching it up, too. That was a bad experience.

I didn't really need the stitches.

"Good thing there's a doctor in the house," I muttered groggily. I had a lost a lot of blood, and I wasn't feeling very well. I think I might have passed out, because when I woke up, it was dark outside and it was midnight. I could hear screeches in the distance, which meant that the Infected were out.

Dr. Neville greeted me. "Hey."

I looked over at him. "Hey. . . I need to get up to leave. . .," I muttered, sitting up.

He shook his head and waved his hand. "Nah. It's alright. You lost a lot of blood. I should know: I had to clean it up."

I moaned. "Yeah. . . Sorry about that. . . Sam's ok, right?"

"Yeah, course. She knows better. But you stay in bed. Or in the house. I don't want you attracting those things. Blood, no matter what kind of blood, is what they want," he explained, getting to his feet.

"Mm. Well, a day off would be nice. I can get ahead of my story."

And that's where I am now. Dr. Neville got me my paper, and here I am. Writing away. I might just get in two chapters this time. Wouldn't you like that?

* * *

I was dreading the time night fell. That was when I was going to be tossed outside and used as bait to lure the Infected to me so this stupid convoy of people could see whether or not the Infected were afraid of me or if that one just didn't like me for some odd reason.

Currently, I was holed up in a room alone. Apparently they didn't think I was going to stick around. Apparently they wanted to make sure I wasn't going to run off. Apparently I was a hostage!

Cassie was with me, though. They had allowed me that. She sat on the big bed with me, her head in my lap, while I stroked her. My captors had given me some food for her and I, so at least we weren't being starved hostages. That would have just made me angry and I would have bust down the door. Seriously. I would have. I had to do it once before, and it hurt, but it got results.

My door opened and I turned my head to it, already glaring even though I didn't know who it was at the door. I was pissed off, and no one was going to escape my wrath if I had anything to do with it.

The boy who had argued for my freedom walked in. He looked around, then closed the door the behind him and walked toward me. I was glad it was him, but it didn't stop me from glaring at him. I was angry at everybody, and he was part of that "everybody," so I was going to be angry with him, too.

"Hey," he greeted me sheepishly.

I replied by turning my head away from him. Cassie lifted her head and started to pant. She was happy to see him, but then again she was happy to see everyone.

"My name's Bobby," he offered. "I'm sorry about them keeping you prisoner like this. It isn't right."

"You bet it isn't. I'm not gonna run away. Keeping me isolated like this isn't humane. I'm a human and I have rights. Cassie can't just lie here like this all day! She's an Aussie! She has to run around and get rid of her extra energy! She's going to go stir crazy and start hurting people."

Bobby looked at me funny.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. . . I shouldn't be taking my anger out on you. . . You didn't want them to do this to me. My name's Alexis."

He shrugged and sat on the far edge of the bed.. "It's alright. I'm guilty by association, but I have no where else to go. My mom got sick and was killed by the virus. My dad was immune, but was attacked when coming home one night. I'm immune, luckily. Got his genes."

"Oh. I'm sorry. We were in church when those things attacked. I hid under a pew while the other ten people, including my mom, dad, and sister, were slaughtered. They found me, though, and I tried to escape, but not before they finally surrounded me. One attacked me while the rest watched and he bit me. . . ," I explained sadly, my head down while I remembered the horrible tale.

"How did you get out?" Bobby asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

I shrugged. "These three guys heard the commotion and were toting guns, so they came in and saved me before I could be eaten. Apparently I'm immune, too, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now. . . I don't who it was that was immune in my family. . . I'm fairly certain I never will, either. . . ."

Bobby looked me over for a few minutes. "Oh. . . That. . . Sucks," he finally replied. Obviously he did not know what there was to say to that. There wasn't a whole lot, actually.

I laughed. He had hit the nail on the head. His reply was just so simple and contrite. It actually summed up the last day pretty well: my situation did suck. I was alone and now I was a prisoner about to be thrown to the wolves. Almost literally. And all for what? Some half-wit who thought I was something special? Something that could save him and his little group of misfits from the Infected? He told me he would let me go whether or not I was special, but would he really?

He smiled at me. "Sorry. . . I didn't know what else to say. It was just the first thing that came to my mind."

"No, no," I said, waving my hand and shaking my head. "You were practically on the nose. It does suck. All of this. The virus. . . People dying. . . People turning into monsters who want to hurt other people. . . ."

Cassie whimpered and I started to stroke her back. She quieted and settled down. Her head was still on my lap, but she was watching the boy on the bed. She was obviously concerned about him, since people had stuffed her and I in this room. She most likely wasn't ready to trust anyone until I said ok.

"You two are close," Bobby commented, watching Cassie warily. It was like he could tell she was watching him and waiting for a cue from me to tell her to start barking at him.

I smiled down at Cassie and rubbed one of her ears. "Yeah. My mom and I trained her. Since Mom isn't here, she's attached to me. It's almost as if she knows.

"A group of them came by our house last night. She learned quickly to be quiet, and I think it was then she figured out why I was alone. She hasn't quite been herself since last night. I'm afraid she won't get better, but I'm going to be giving her as much attention as I can to get her spirits back up and make sure she's happy. . . "

"Oh. . . Well, dogs are smart like that, and I'm sure you'll keep Cassie happy. Dogs aren't hard to please."

Nodding, I shifted my position on the bed. "This is true. Oh, she won't hurt you. As long as I okay you," I added slyly.

Bobby smiled at me. "And am I ok?"

I pretended to think for a minute. He had graciously pulled me out of the middle of the street, a nice gesture despite he was late to save me from anything. He had defended me against the man who wanted to use me as a human barrier against the Infected. He had also come to visit me in my prison just when I had started to really get lonely. What all was there to really think about?

Smiling, I nodded at last. "You _are_ ok."

"So, can I pet her, then?" he asked, moving close to me and Cassie, who lifted her head up and swiveled her ears to him. She was not going to let him to get to close to me until I told her that he could.

"Yeah. Go for it. It's ok, Cassie. We like Bobby," I added to my dog, stroking her back reassuringly. She glanced at me, but her full attention was always on Bobby. He extended his hand to her, then stopped when it was close enough to her for her to reach. Cassie leaned forward to smell his hand. I was impressed: not a whole lot of people knew to do that when they were meeting a strange dog.

"Good dog," he murmured after a few seconds of letting her get to know his scent. He set his hand on her head and gently scratched in between her ears. After a few seconds of that, Cassie leapt to her paws and pushed Bobby onto his back and commenced with licking his face.

I bust up laughing as Bobby sputtered Cassie's name and tried vainly to push her off of him. "Well, you sure did hit it off with her! C'mon, Cassie. Don't smother your new friend, now!"

Cassie, upon hearing me call her name, hopped off of Bobby and over to me. She circled me a few times before laying back down with her head on my lap. I gently pat her head and continued to giggle.

"At least she likes me," Bobby chuckled, wiping the dog slobber off of his face and neck. He was an optimist. I was beginning to like this boy more and more each time I learned something about him.

He looked at his watch suddenly, then sighed. Uh-oh. Sighing was a never good sign for anything. Bobby got up from the bed and looked regretfully at me. That wasn't a good thing, either. Cassie and I watched him, me a little more desperately, probably. Was I supposed to go outside in the dragon's den, now?

"You should try to get some sleep. They'll be taking you out in a few hours. I have to go before they miss me and start looking around," Bobby answered my unspoken question.

"Am I not allowed to have visitors or something?" I asked dubiously, shifting my position again.

The way Bobby looked from me to the door then back again and the way he bit his lip after that, I had my answer. No one was allowed to see or talk to the freak prisoner girl. We freaks get lonely, too!

"Oh. . . ," was all I could manage. I looked down at Cassie sullenly. Sensing the major mood shift, she whimpered slightly and licked my hand, trying to bring up my spirits or something.

"I'm sorry, Alexis," Bobby apologized as he turned around to walk out of my cage disguised as a bedroom.

"Wait, Bobby," I called, getting up off the bed. He turned to me, his hand on the door knob. "If. . . I don't make it to tomorrow, I want–"

"You'll make it!" he insisted stubbornly, his hand falling from the door knob so he could turn to face me,

"Please, Bobby! Just listen. If I don't make it to tomorrow, I want you to take care of Cassie. She has a new bag of Eukanuba in the closet. We only have three closets that aren't in one of the bedrooms, so it shouldn't be hard to find. She has some toys laying around the house, just pick a few. She needs to exercise daily and she loves fetch."

Bobby looked at me sadly. "_If_ you don't come back, I would be glad to take care of Cassie for you."

I sighed, relaxing. At least I had that settled. "Thank you," I muttered sincerely, starting to walk back to my bed. Cassie would be devastated to lose all of her owners. . . I wouldn't want her to be left homeless without me.

Bobby grabbed my shoulder and spun me around before I could reach the bed. He held me still and my stomach twisted nervously. What was he doing?

He looked me in the eyes, as if making some sort of decision, then came to one and shook me only gently. "You _will_ come back," he assured me, letting me go and brusquely walking out of the door and closing it behind him.

I looked over to Cassie, who was sitting up and staring at me with her head cocked to one side, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. "Well, that was uplifting," I muttered, completely meaning it. I hoped I would survive the night so I could see Bobby again. He seemed like a nice guy.

Taking his advice, I took off my jacket and crawled into the queen-sized bed. If I was going to be fighting for my life all night, I would need any amount of sleep I could get. That is, if I could get any. My anxiousness and stress would keep me up, I was sure, but I had to try. If there was any chance for me to live through the night, I would need to be fully aware and never sleepy.

Cassie whined and lied down next to me. I stoked her neck and she licked my arm, no longer whining. "Don't worry, girl. Everything will be fine. Let's get some sleep: we'll both need it for tonight."

Sleep came a lot easier than I thought it would have. It seemed like one minute I was lying down with my eyes closed, then the next I was being shaken awake by the stupid middle-aged man who had kept me prisoner. The only reason I knew I had been asleep was that in that minute I had slept nearly three hours. I tried to ignore him, and then he stopped shaking me for a second. I thought maybe he was going to leave me alone after all, but then I heard a frightening yelp of pain.

From Cassie.

I sat bolt upright in the bed and looked around the room wildly. "Don't you _dare_ hurt my dog!" I cried, throwing the blankets off of me once I spotted Cassie in the door way, some goon holding her by the collar. I don't know what he had done to her, but he was going to pay.

"That worked well. Don't worry: he didn't hurt her really badly. Nothing that caused her injury," the creep assured me. "We just wanted to make sure you were going to wake up and not go back on your word."

"So you're using my dog against me? Oh, I am so going to get you, Chubby," I shot at him, crossing my arms and watching Cassie sullenly. She looked at me. It was the kind of look that said "Help me. . . " The kind of look to break a dog-owner's heart. I know I felt mine split in half.

The man glowered. "I'd rather you call me John, thank you. And I'm not even chubby," he added fiercely.

He wasn't. But obviously he was sensitive about his weight. That would be useful in times of need. Need as in the need to insult him. I could tell I would need a lot of things to insult him about.

"Alright then, John. Just remember my promise. If you stab me in the back, you will never see the end of me. Ever," I hissed vehemently. "Also, if you hurt my dog, I will not hesitate to kill you and anyone you are associated with. Don't underestimate me and my rage."

I walked past John and roughly shouldered him out of my way. Cassie barked at me, trying to get me come to her, but I had to ignore her. I couldn't risk angering these people and getting her hurt. I had to keep her safe, no matter how much it hurt me to leave her with that bad man. I kept walking, and John was behind me, my coat in hand for my outside excursion into the dark.

Suddenly, John stopped me. "This door," he informed me, indicating to the front door of the house. There were seven people to a house, and I had been shoved inside one with all the people who were supposed to watch me. This house was really more a like a prison; even more so than my room.

"First," I declared, "I'm not going there alone. Right? There will be tens—hundreds—of those things and I will not be all alone!"

John shook his head. "Of course not. We have folks with guns in this house as well and the two houses on either side of this one. You will be well protected. I wouldn't want the death of some kid on my conscious."

As if on some cue, two men walked up to stand next to John and each lifted up an M40 sniper rifle.

Again, I watched a lot of tv.

These guys weren't kidding around and were carrying some big arms. I was actually kind of relieved by the heavy artillery, but I still did not want to do this thing any more than before. It was my curiosity and fear for Cassie's life that kept me going forward.

I hesitated, then started to pull on my coat. It was going to be cold outside. "Just don't miss if this fails. I don't feel like being a meal for those stupid creatures."

John rolled his eyes and ushered me out of the house. The cold was the first thing that hit me. I crossed my arms to try to create some friction to get warmer. Why December? Just. . . Why? I hate the cold. How long would I have to be outside in this, anyway? I didn't want to be out all night long in this horrible whether! I was so not going to be a very unhappy person if they made me stay out there.

The door was closed once I was outside, but for some reason John had followed me out. Either he wanted to watch this all go down in person, or he wanted to tell me a few more things before he left me partially alone. I was betting it was to tell me something, because who would want to be outside with hungry Infected?

"Girl," he addressed me rather curtly.

I lifted my hand up to cut him off from saying more. "Girl? No, no. You will call me by my name, Alexis, and nothing else. Unless, of course, you'd rather I called you Chubby or any other form of the term."

"Alexis," he corrected himself, sounding rather annoyed with me. Too bad. That was what he got. "Stay on the street, away from the homes. If you want to move around in order to stay relatively warm, stay within eye shot and don't go past the houses on either side of this one."

"Why don't you just put me on a leash and feed me dog biscuits?" I snapped. The impact of my anger was lessened by my shivering, however.

"Just don't run away. Otherwise, your dog is ours to do with what we want," he threatened, walking back inside the house. I heard the lock click so I childishly stuck my tongue out at the door before walking to the middle of the street to wait for my doom.

I could hear screeching in the distance. I couldn't tell if it was moving toward me, however. The noises made me very nervous. What if this went wrong? I could die. I didn't particularly feel like dying. I had always feared death. Now, with it so close at hand, it was like that fear was amplified tenfold. Was there something after this life? It scared me to death. Pun not intended.

After a few minutes it was apparent that the screeches and roars were getting closer. A wind ruffled my hair and sent a new tremor go up my spine. It was so cold outside! I decided to do that walking and get some blood flowing before I got pneumonia or something. I had taken a total of five steps when a powerful scent hit me. A horrible, metallic and bitter scent. I covered my nose and started to look for the source. I found my answer, but I didn't like it.

A puddle of blood. Not only that, though. There was a trail of blood. A _trail_. I followed it for a little ways without going past my boundaries, then turned and followed it in the opposite direction. It looked like it continued off in both directions.

Realization of what was going on here hit me like a wave. A trail of actual blood. . . John and had to have lied it there! It wasn't there when we had gotten to this little set of houses. I knew it. He wanted to insure the Infected came this way! The smell would be plenty enough to get them here. He wanted to make sure we could figure out whether or not I was a Infected repellent.

He was leading them right to me. A defenseless and completely alone little girl. It was like he was asking for me to be killed. What kind of a person does that?!

I seriously thought about just making a break for it. I thought long and hard, but I would never forgive myself for leaving Cassie alone with those creeps. I couldn't, or wouldn't, imagine what they would do to her if I left. It wouldn't be worth it. Cassie was too important to me.

So instead, I continued to pace back and forth down the street, all the while the screeches grew louder and louder. I started to hear their foot falls on the ground. Adrenaline started to make me warm. I stopped moving and faced the direction the noises were coming from.

Then, they came into view. Now was the moment of truth.

* * *

**Welp, I got some reviews (3! =D More than I expected since no one really thinks about looking here for I Am Legend fan fics in the books category. XD) so I'm throwing up this chapter. Think I'll get the next one in next week sometime. I could do it now (as Part One is completed already and had been for several months and perhaps a year) but I am lazy and wish not to do too much at once. XD But anyway, reviews are appreciated! Good and bad, whatever you want to say, say it! =D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Six**

* * *

The Infected were in view, now. My stomach clenched painfully and my breath caught. There were hundreds– maybe even thousands– of the rabies-ridden humans. How was I going to escape all of them if things went south?

I stood my ground. Fear for Cassie was making me bold. At least if I died, Bobby would take care of her. If I just ran, things wouldn't go so well for my loveable puppy, and I wouldn't let that happen. No; I was going to tough it out until the very end. It was the least I could do.

They got very close. Too close for a normal person to handle. I started to back away from them, toward the houses. I had been close to the blood. . . The scent would be all over me. What would they do to me? I didn't want to think about it.

It was too late to escape now. I had passed the point of safe return. The Infected were moving faster than any other human I've ever seen. There was no way I could get to safety without the snipers hopefully posted around me. As long as they kept their word, I might be able to get out alive. There was no guarantee that I was going to make it tomorrow no matter what happened.

Feeling bold, I stopped moving back and took a deep breath. I was going to take a big risk, but if I was going to go down, I wasn't going to go down running away, with my back turned. I was going to take these things by surprise. I took one more deep breath, then started to walk toward them. I walked as one with a mission walks; fast and determined.

Angry screeches reached my ears and it seemed to me that the Infected increased their speed. Obviously they were very hungry and I was the first tasty morsel they'd seen all night. I continued my walk as they got closer and closer. I was not sure how this was going to turn out, but I was willing to tempt fate.

The Infected in lead kicked it into overdrive and just sprinted toward me, the others hesitated and waited for him to get ahead of them. So they worked in a pack-like arrangement with alphas. Interesting, but hardly useful.

I continued to walk briskly toward them. I tried to come off as not intimidated, but the sheer numbers were enough to make the bravest and most fearless man lose face. I was starting to sweat despite the freezing temperatures. My hands were balled into fists. Every fiber of my being was telling me to turn and run for my life. However, there was one voice in the very back of my head that was telling me I was doing the right thing. It was even going so far as to tell me to attack one of them. What was I gonna do? Hit it a couple of times? I didn't think that was going to work.

I wouldn't have to do anything. The alpha of the pack—swarm?– was two feet away from me when he stopped abruptly and snarled at me. The others stopped and formed a half-circle around us. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw them back away from me. That was reassuring.

I glared defiantly into the dull eyes of the Infected in front of me. He was glaring angrily back. These things held a lot of anger inside of them. We stared each other down for a minute, then he started to back away from me.

Ever since I had met these things, I had never heard them silent. This time, all of them were silent as their leader backed away from me. Some would come in a little closer to me, only to back away again. These things were hesitant to come near me. Why? What was wrong with me?

Abruptly, one of the creatures gave off a rather loud and frightening screech. I did something totally unorthodox, and yet it was totally an instinct. Before the Infected had even finished his– or her– screech, something clicked inside of me. I wheeled around out of instinct toward where the screech had started to come from. When I had spotted the culprit, I did something I hadn't even known I could do.

I snarled. Savagely.

The several Infected in front of me practically jumped away from me, growling at me almost submissively. I turned to the rest of the Infected and took a quick step forward, trying to be intimidating. It worked. The Infected all moved back methodically. After a few seconds of decision making, all of the Infected turned and bolted. Only the Alpha Male stayed for a few extra seconds. I recognized him by the tattered pair of cargo pants he was wearing. He still only stuck around long enough to get one last threatening snarl in before running after his pack– or swam? I really needed to figure that one out.

I knew why he had stayed. He was trying to save face, trying to seem tough in front of all of his little buddies. He didn't want them to think he was some wussy leader. That wouldn't look good and one of the other Infected might challenge him for the position of alpha male.

I stood there, dumbstruck, with my hand covering my mouth. I was appalled. I had absolutely no idea where that had come from at all. I would never _snarl_ for any reason! I especially never would have snarled that _convincingly_, but when that one Infected had startled me with that screech, something unknown inside of me had taken brief control over me and my reactions.

Still paralyzed with disbelief, I watched as the Infected grew smaller and smaller with each passing second, then, finally, they disappeared around a corner. I slowly started to back up toward the house. I didn't really realize it, though. I was in a hyper-aware trance, always keeping my eyes on where the Infected had gone.

All of them had fled. _All_ of them. There had to have been at least a little more than a hundred of those creatures here a few minutes ago. If they all had banded together, they could have easily overwhelmed and conquered me, and yet, the Infected had fled from me fairly quickly. There was obviously something about me that they didn't like at all. Something that brought out their flight instinct rather then their fight instinct. Something that I wasn't quite aware of yet.

"Alexis!" someone called to me. I wheeled around in surprise at the sound and saw John hanging out of the front door. He was looking left and right periodically and looked really nervous. "You can come inside, now, if you want."

Without hesitating in the least, I sprinted for the door, powered by fear, confusion, and. . . mostly fear, actually. He was kind enough to hold open the door for me. It was a good thing he did, too: I didn't stop running until I hit a wall inside the house. I braced myself with my arms, though, so I wouldn't be running head-first into it and hurt myself. Once inside safely, I slid to the floor, panting heavily after my sprint.

"What are you?" John demanded fearfully. He was backed against the door and had most likely already locked it. Two men were walking toward him, their guns still ready to fire. . . And they probably ready to fire at _me._

I turned around to face him. I was spent and didn't really want to talk to him, but he deserved some sort of answer after the show I just put on. I was still gasping for breath, so I had to wait a few seconds until I could talk. "I don't know. Really, I just don't know."

John studied me for a few seconds, then pushed off the door. Evidently he had been leaning against it. "Right. There's obviously something that they don't like about you. Have you eaten anything? Garlic maybe? What kind of shampoo or soap do you use? Maybe you don't smell right. . . "

I stared at John, then got up and put my hands on my hips, glaring at him angrily. "What? No, I haven't eaten garlic! And it's not like they're vampires in the movies! They're humans who have some sort of form of rabies or whatever! Plus, I use strictly scentless soap and conditioner and shampoo! I can't believe you even asked me that. You sound like some sort of freak!"

I would have gone on, but the sound of gunfire silenced me. The two men with the guns left John's side and went back to their posts– wherever that was. I went to the window and looked out. I couldn't see a thing anywhere close to the houses surrounding us, but the gunfire sounded close.

"Sir!" one of the men called down. "They're attacking a block away from us!"

A block? That couldn't be right. . . The gun shots were so loud. They sounded closer than only a block away. . . But I supposed that depended on the guns that were being used. Some were louder than others.

John looked up the stair-well, horror-struck. "Are you sure?" he demanded, started to climb up the stairs.

"Yes, sir! Just got news on the radios, sir! What do you want us to do?"

John was halfway up the stairs and the two men were at the top, looking down at him and waiting for orders. He obviously did not know what he wanted to do by the hesitation he made on his decision. Then, he turned part way to look at me.

"Sir? They're not going to last long."

"Alexis. We need you and your freakish talent. Will you go and help those people?" he asked me, walking over to me and grabbing my shoulders. He looked me in the eye, pleading me to help those people.

Freakish? Oh, no he didn't.

"Where's my dog?" I demanded slowly.

His eyes widened. "Your dog? That's all you can think about right now? Is your _dog_? People are going to die if you don't get out there!"

I stared steadily back at him. "Those people mean nothing to me. I want my dog. I want to know that she is ok, and I don't want her harmed. Ever."

Extortion. What a nice thing.

"Ok, no! If you don't get out there right now, I'll have them shoot your precious little dog! Alright? So get out there and help those people right now!" John commanded me desperately, trying to play on my love for my dog.

I crossed my arms. "Shoot my dog, and I'll never help you. In fact, I'll lead those things to this house if you shoot her. You're not going to win this."

John muttered something under his breath. "Fine! I'll make sure you're dog is well taken care of! Please, please! Just go get them! Go chase them away. Please."

"Sir! Three are down in four of the houses! There's a kid who's on line four! Say's his name's Bobby," one of the men announced, sounding forlorn. "He says him and four others are caught up in the basement."

My eyes widened, but I kept my composure. "You promise not hurt my Cassie?" I asked, trying to keep calm. I would come to Bobby's aid in a minute. I had to make sure this guy was going to keep his promise.

"If you stop any more casualties, yes!"

"No! If I go out there and no matter what happens, I want her to always be safe and I never ever want her harmed! Ever. I will come after you." I glared furiously at him, giving him no other option _but _to agree.

"Yes! Fine! Just go!"

I smiled a smug smile. "Good. I'll be back. But first, give me one of those talkies and tell me what block it is. If I don't know where I'm going, how can I save your people?"

"No, we need those radios to assure people. We can't give one to you. Just go one block to the left once you leave this house. You probably won't be able to miss the carnage," John growled.

"Fine, fine." I swiftly unlocked the door and was headed down the street at a jog. I had no idea which house Bobby was in, but I would just go through each house until all of the Infected had been cleared out. Perhaps whatever it was that was inside of me what take control and I would be able to scare them off in time. I don't think I could replicate that snarl on purpose.

I heard them before I actually saw them. They really were hard to miss, especially when they're making all of those fear-striking noises. Usually predators were quiet. Guess they never got that memo.

I accelerated my jog toward the house where the most noise was coming from— both human and Infected, but then there was a crash and a scream from farther down the block.

Someone had just been thrown out of a first-story window.

Infected ran for the person that was lying, dazed, on the semi-wet grass. I made a split-second decision to help this man and bolted down the street for him. The Infected were much closer to him than I was, however, and reached him well before I was even close enough. I stopped, knowing that there was next to nothing I could do for the poor man.

As I was headed for the house with the most human screams and, most likely, the most survivors, I heard just one scream above all the others. It was closer to me, which made it seem louder, and it was just so much more familiar than all the others. . .

Bobby!

Had the infected gotten to him already? I was about to find out either way. I ran to the front door and banged it open. This was the house I had heard the screaming from, but where to go? The basement! I remembered that it was where the gunman in my house-prison had said Bobby was.

I followed the screaming and screeching to where the stairs were and jumped down. I sailed over about eight steps and landed gracefully. I would ponder about that later. There was a slight problem.

The first room I came to in the basement was wide open and the last of the Infected were flowing inside. There were at least four that I could see, but there had to be at least ten inside the room.

I spotted what I wanted to see, however, and that was an alive Bobby. He was in a corner shooting at the Infected advancing on him. However, he wasn't a very good shot and he wasn't doing a whole lot of damage to them. There wasn't anyone else in the room, but there were small groups of Infected huddled on the floor in different areas.

I didn't even want to know what they were huddling over.

_Click. Click. Click. Click. Click._

Bobby had just run out of ammo.

Once the fire had ceased, the Infected swarmed poor Bobby. I started for him, unsure if my presence would be near enough to scare the Infected off with as much fresh blood as there was.

Then, Bobby cried out in pain. That was all I needed to make my decision. There were four of them on him. My fear for his life mixed with the rage I started to feel fueled me on. The instincts that were not, and could not be, my own took over once again and I was reacting without thinking.

Running at full-tilt, I snarled, catching the attention of each and every Infected in the room. Some even went as far as to jump up and back away. When the group on Bobby turned toward me, I was already on them and it was too late for some of them to react. I grabbed the one closest to me, a female, by the shoulder of her ragged top and threw her against a wall. Hard. I heard a _crunch_, then a _thump_ as she hit the ground.

Two tried to get away, but the last one turned to Bobby. I helped the two along by pushing them out of my way. That one was obviously not willing to let his meal get away from him. Bobby was on the ground, bleeding, and the last Infected was over him with my friend's shoulder in his grimy little mouth.

Oh, Hells no.

Without thinking, not that I had been from the start, I lunged for the Infected and tackled him off of Bobby. The thing squealed. I kid you not, it actually squealed. I pushed him to the ground and started to angrily bang his head against the concrete floor of the room until he threw me off of him and got up and ran. How he wasn't dead after I had slammed his head viciously against the concrete I didn't know.

I started to go after him until I saw the other Infected get up. I couldn't leave Bobby alone with most of them still in the room! I jumped in front of my fallen friend and snarled vehemently. They hesitated and glanced at each other. They could smell the fresh, delicious blood, but there weren't quite sure if it would be worth trying to get past me.

Finally, they turned and disappeared through the door.

Relaxing only a little, I waited until I was sure they were gone before turning to Bobby and kneeling down beside him. He looked up at me with a mixture of confusion, fear, and admiration.

"Are you alright?" I asked him. "Can you stand? Can you walk?"

He nodded and started to pick himself off the floor. "I'm fine. I managed to protect myself with my arms, so they're really the only things that are hurting."

"That's a relief. I'm going to clear a path for you, then I'll need you to run. Just run and find some house that no one is living in. I need you to hide there until dawn. Stay quiet," I said. Helping Bobby to his feet. With him behind me, I led him upstairs and into the open air. Luckily, there wasn't anything else in the house. Once outside, I told him to bolt. He didn't hesitate at all and took off running.

Before I continued with my mission, I watched to make sure Bobby made it to safety without any problems. Once I thought he was going to be relatively ok, I had to do my job. Where I heard gunfire, that's where I was going to go. Every time an Infected screeched, something stirred inside of me.

So, I bust into a house, feeling completely irrational, and headed upstairs toward the shooting. I hoped there were more survivors in this house than there were in the house Bobby had been.

"Cease fire!" I shouted as I reached the room. I didn't really feel like being shot that night, but I barged into the room anyway before the firing stopped. Luckily, the guy shooting stopped once I was in the room. It appeared that I wasn't going to be shot that night, and I was very thankful for that.

I had to work fast. With the lull in the defenses, the Infected would be all over them in a few seconds.

Then, I heard a baby start to cry.

Rage welled inside of me. Even though I hadn't been running, I started to breathe faster. I let out an angry screech that could easily have been mistaken for one of the Infected's screeches. Truthfully, I hoped they would mistake it for the Infected. I didn't need the people I was trying to help being scared of me. That would make it harder on me.

With the baby's cry engendering such a strong emotion, I went into a trance. It was like I no longer had any real say in what I was doing. I just bowled through the Infected, shoving them aside and slamming them into the walls or into each other. Eventually they just started to get out of my way. I stood protectively in front of the three people, including the small infant in the lady's arms.

"How did you–?" the woman started to ask me.

"No time for questions! I'm going to get you out of this mess. Follow close by me, keep your hands on me at all times and don't leave my side for _any_ reason," I commanded, giving all of the, like, seven Infected threatening glares with my mouth slightly agape to add to the effect.

The woman stepped up next to me and held out the small child. It couldn't have been any more than a month old. The little child was so damn cute! "Please. I want to make sure she lives."

I looked up at the lady, bewildered. "We're all going to make it out," I insisted, turned to watch the Infected.

She looked at me with pleading, teary eyes. "Please. Will you take her? Just in case. Her name is Alice. Please! I know you're the girl who the creatures fear. I can see it in the way they're looking at you. They won't dare hurt her if you're carrying her."

A movement to my left made me whirl around and growl at the Infected moving toward the man. I assumed he was the lady's husband. Once the Infected moved back into position, I turned to the lady again. Had word about me really traveled that fast? Of course, tons of people had seen that one Infected run from me that morning.

"Alright. I'll do it," I agreed, carefully taking the infant from her mother's arms. She was right; Alice had a better chance of surviving while she was in my arms. The Infected feared me, for what reason I didn't know yet, but it was turning out to be rather useful. "Just stay close to me."

The man and woman stepped to either side of me and put a hand on my shoulders. I shifted Alice slightly in my arms and started to walk. The Infected kept trying to decide whether or not risk it, and each time one got too close to me and the family– or at least, I thought it was a family– I would snarl at them and they would back away again. The baby continued to cry, but at least she wasn't hurt.

The walk to the outside of the house was long and excruciating. I didn't want to run for fear of upsetting not only the baby, but also the Infected. I was not about to agitate them into attacking.

Finally, we reached outside and I stopped a few feet into the street. The mother would not take her baby back until I had gotten them all to safety, so I had to hold onto her.

"You, man, what's your name?" I asked, turning to the person whom I thought was the lady's wife.

"Richard," he replied, looking at me funny.

"Alright. Richard, do you have one of those radios on you, by chance?"

Pausing, Richard started to look through his pockets, then pulled out a black radio. "Yeah, I do."

"Can I have it, please?" He handed it to me, and I pressed the talk button, hoping that it was on whatever frequency it had to be on. "Hello? Alexis to John. If John's there can I speak with him? Over." I had to hold back a giggle. I'd always wanted to do something like this, and despite the situation, it made me giddy.

The radio crackled to life. "Alexis, this is John. What the Hell is going on? More houses are being overrun! You're not doing a very good job! Over."

Did he seriously just yell at me and then say "over" like he was talking to an old friend? I contemplated not answering or saying something really mean, but then I chose not too. I wanted to save these people as mush as he wanted me to save them.

"I can't stop them when they're everywhere! You need to get all of the people into one spot! Preferably your house! If they're all in one spot, I can save more people! Get all of the people from the houses that haven't been attacked yet in one spot and I'll work on getting any survivors I can! Over."

I wasn't sure if this kind of situation called for saying "over," but I sure liked saying it. It made me feel. . . Like a spy from the movies.

"We can't fit that many people in this house!"

"Just do it! Get them all into two or three rooms on the same floor. If you want more than half of the people you've got to survive this night, you'll do as I say and get them all into one place! Just do it!" I commanded angrily, yelling into the radio. Alice screamed and I gave the radio back to Richard and tried to calm the small girl. It worked, and she was crying quietly instead of scream-crying. It was a start.

"Alright. I'm going to take you to the house I was staying at. It's not under attack yet, so you'll be safe for a while. It's just a few houses that way. C'mon," I muttered, shifting Alice again and starting to walk to John's house.

"Alexis," the lady called, leaning in close to me. "Thank you so much for this. My name is Lisa, by the way."

I nodded. "I'm just doing what I can."

Quickly, I led the two to the house I had been staying at and gave Alice back to Lisa. "Hurry inside. I promise I will not let those things touch Alice."

Lisa nodded and ran inside the house. Richard stayed back and watched her go, then turned back to me, looking very tired. He put a hand on my shoulder and nodded once. "You're a brave young woman. My sister lost her husband to those things, and I don't know what she would do if she lost Alice, too. Thank you."

That statement rocked me. She had lost her husband. . . And now she was alone in a cruel new world and raising a baby. Richard was her brother, so that cleared up that question. So many people were losing the ones they loved. . . Losing the ones they cared about the most. My parents had turned to God in their last hour, but I wasn't sure there was a God. No God would bring this upon the Earth and the children he loved so dearly.

I shook my head. "No, you don't need to thank me. I'm just doing all that I can. I was given this. . . gift, curse, thing, and I plan on making the best of it and helping out all that I can."

"I admire you for that. I won't keep you any longer. I hope we meet again," Richard bade before disappearing inside the house.

I waited a few seconds, then started down the street again toward more of the screaming and screeching. I saw a very nice thing on my way, and that was a giant crowd of people walking toward John's house. I smiled inwardly and continued toward the sounds. . .

Until they all stopped.

Sounds completely stopped. The only sounds were coming from the frightened people who were walking toward the house. No more screams, no more screeches. That could not have been good.

And it wasn't.

The screeches started up again. Among those screeches were the sounds of glass breaking and heavy bodies landing. The street lights showed me the whole show: Infected jumping out windows and busting down doors. The worst part of it all was that they were headed for the giant crowd. Those people had to get inside that house ASAP, and they sure were taking their sweet time.

"Everybody _run_!" I yelled, running full sprint to intercept the Infected best I could. When people looked to see where I was running to, that got them to move.

Could I really keep all of those Infected at bay until dawn? I was about to find out.

* * *

**Okay, well since people seem to like it so far--those that have read it anyway!--I think I'll treat you guys to the next two chapters, rapid-fire. Enjoy! The story might get a bit slow after chapter seven, but just bare with me! =D **


	7. Chapter 7

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

I must cut in, now, and I apologize. I have realized, however, that I have not told you the date, have I? Truthfully, I don't really now what the date for today is. All I do know is what year it is, and that's 2012. Living alone, I lost most of my sense of time and mostly relied on telling when a year has passed by relying on the seasons and weather. I used them to make a guestimate on what month it was.

If I had to guess right now, I suppose I'd say that. . . Well, it is a little chilly outside at night, and Dr. Neville didn't come home in his heavy jacket today, so it could be around spring or early summer. So, maybe it's April. Of course, it could be late March. . . Or early August? I'll just have to ask Dr. Neville. He keeps track of things like that all the time to know when the sun is going to rise or set. Currently he's sleeping, though. Or at least trying to. I'm too lazy to go through his stuff to find out, either.

Time doesn't really hold any meaning to me anymore, anyway. I mean, I don't have any meetings I have to get to. There are no more new tv shows or movies. I just have to be out every night to work, and it's easy knowing when night is. That's all I really need to know about. Birthday's aren't really important, either. Dr. Neville hasn't mentioned his birthday, yet. He keeps track of time, so I assume he would mention something. Maybe it just hasn't come up yet, or happened before I met up with him.

But, I do suppose if you're reading this, maybe mankind has taken the world back at last. Time might mean a lot more to you, now that the world is ours again. Or you could be like Dr. Neville and you enjoy knowing what day it is. Just in case time means something to you, I will find out, dear reader. By the beginning of the next chapter, I will know what day it is. Promise.

I actually only got through half of chapter six a day ago. . . I finished it last night. I just hadn't wanted to spend the whole night writing stuff down. How boring. So instead, I watched a movie, then worked for as long as I could before I really got bored or ran out of things to talk about, then I'd watch another movie. Or read a book I brought home one night. Whatever I felt like.

So, it's been three days since I last did this little journal entry thing. I was all healed up and ready to get back in the game two nights ago. I only got two chapters out in the last three days, so I'm a chapter behind. . . That's not a good way to go when there is so much to write about and I may have so little time to write it.

Anyway, I know how much you want to know about the ending of that fateful night when I discovered exactly what I was capable of, so I'm going to get to it right away.

A chapter behind. . . I should have worked a little better. Me and my procrastinating ways. . . . With those things lurking around every corner, I never know when one night is going to my last night.

* * *

I sprinted at full power toward the Infected, trying to fight the crowd that was running in the opposite direction of me. If I was going to save this giant pack of humans from the hungry monsters hunting them, I would have to go a lot faster than I was going, and I would have to start shoving people out of my way. The Infected did have a big head start.

Panic started to rise inside of me. What if I didn't make it in time? A lot of people weren't going to survive this horrific nightmare. That's what.

As the panic rose and rose, so did whatever instinct inside of me. The noises the Infected were constantly making sure didn't help a whole lot, either. It just made me less and less rational.

Every single time I passed a parent who was holding a small child, my panic grew inside my chest, accompanied by a sort of anger toward the Infected. Whatever it was that the Infected didn't quite like about me, it sure was making me easily enraged and completely irrational. Whatever it was that they didn't like didn't like them equally. At least the feeling was mutual.

I only had a few more paces to go! The first and fastest of the Infected was nearly on top of the slowest person; a rather– and I'm sorry to say this, really I am– obese man who was barely keeping up with the second slowest person. I was not about to lose _any_ of these men and women and children. I pushed my top speed past the limit, then lunged for the Infected just as he was about to pounce on the poor man.

We fell to the ground in a tangle of screeching and snarling, flailing limbs and gnashing teeth. It took me only a minute to realize who it was I was fighting, and I was rather disappointed in myself for not noticing it earlier.

The Alpha Male.

I was faintly aware of the rest of the swarm standing around and watching our little tussle. That meant that this was the Alpha's time to shine. It was his time to show his swarm what he was made of. Take out the strange anomaly and he'd be revered and the leader for as long as he lived. However, if he got owned by the anomaly, he would be usurped.

I didn't really plan on losing, so it looked like this poor (not) guy was going to be usurped.

He was doing fairly well for going against the strong fight instinct I spawned in all of the Infected. Something had a hold of me, though, and it wasn't going to let me tank this fight if it had anything to do with it. And it had everything to do with it. I fought this Alpha tooth and nail– literally. He would bite me, so I would bite him back even harder. I didn't even seem to mind their taste. . . One I am not going to go into extreme detail about, thanks.

After both of us were bloodied up pretty well, we parted in our death brawl and glared at each other, each panting heavily and trying to get the other to back down by being intimidating. Tsh. Like I was going to fall for that. He was more afraid of me than I was of him. I still wasn't thinking rationally, either. If I could only calm down a little bit. . .

No time to calm down. Compelled by rebukes from his swarm, he lunged for me again. Instead of lunging for him to meet him head-to-head like a normal predator or animal would, I stepped to the side and grabbed his shoulder before he could pass me, then slammed him down hard on his back. That wasn't really all that irrational. I countered his attack. Maybe there was hope for me.

I jumped on top of the Alpha, straddling him, and started to violently slam his head against the black asphalt.

That wasn't so rational. Effective, but hardly rational.

So much for that theory.

I can't even come up with a good reason why I did that now. It wasn't like that was how the Infected fought. They were all fangs and claws.

The Alpha snarled and shoved me off of him. I stayed on my feet, though, and skidded to a stop on all fours and growled, jumping back to my feet to take him on again. We circled each other for a few seconds, each trying to decide what move we should make.

Until my decision was made for me.

Behind the Alpha Male I could see a few of the other Infected start to slowly sneak off toward the house where everyone was at. Smart bastards. I had to find a way to ditch this dumb Alpha and stop those monsters from getting to the house! I screeched with rage and easily skirted around the Alpha to the semi-stealthy Infected half-jogging down the street. However, they heard my screech and thought it better to start running.

Oh no. No, no. They were not about to get off that easy. Here comes Ms. Anomaly.

The Infected run weird, just so you know. It's kind of like a lopsided gait. But that didn't mean they weren't fast little suckers. I seemed to have gained more speed than I usually had, too, but that could just have easily have been the adrenaline.

I reached the slowest Infected and wasted no time. I promptly took her down by shoving her forward and letting gravity do the rest. I snarled, too, hoping I could strike enough fear into the Infected in front of me to make them stop. I got the next best result, though; the next two closest to me trampled and climbed over one another to get out of my way.

It worked just as nicely, and it only left four more ahead of me. I kicked on the after-burners, but the four Infected remained a good fifteen paces in front of me, and I couldn't gain any distance.

The house! That would be where I would stop them. Hopefully the people were all in the rooms as I had requested earlier. If that was the case, then once the Infected hit the house, stairs and doors and hallways would slow them down just enough for me to expunge them from the home.

The four hit the door and shattered it. If "shattered" is the right word for a wooden door. I think it fits nicely. Anyway, it cost them at least a second or two.

I reached the door a few seconds after they had gotten back on their feet. I stole a really quick glance down the street where I had come from to see the rest of the Infected running toward me and toward the house.

Crap.

I decided to follow the Infected. Why? Because they would lead me to the floor where all of the people were being cooped up. That way, I wouldn't have to waste what little time I had searching the house for them.

It took them all of three seconds to locate the humans and hurry up a set of stairs. Their unearthly sounds caused several small children to scream. There was some work I wouldn't have to do.

Breathing hard, I flew up the stairs and snarled as savagely as I could possible manage from such a small body. The Infected stopped dead in their tracks and cringed. They actually cringed. If I wasn't busy trying to scare the hell out of them, I might have giggled. Instead, I stomped up to them, my teeth bared, and they started to back away from me. They hit a wall, and I grabbed the nearest one and threw him back behind me, then did the exact same to the others. They scrambled to their feet and scampered off down the stairs.

"Don't worry. John, if you're in one of these rooms, I'm here. I promise that I will not let any one of you guys get hurt by these things if it's the last thing I do!" I vowed, parking myself in the middle of the hallway. "How many rooms are in use and which ones?"

A bang came from the door to my left, and the two from my right. "Three!" I heard someone who sounded like John answered. Three doors. And now I knew where they were, so I was capable of protecting them all, now. Yay.

"Where's my dog, John?" I demanded.

"In here with me," he replied.

"Cassie? Cassie, girl, it's me! Where are you girl? Speak!" I commanded, eyes still trained on the landing. I didn't trust this guy as far as I could throw him.

Reassuring barking came from the door to my left, and I faintly heard scratching at the door, too. Rebukes came from most of the people in the room. They didn't like her being noisy.

"It's alright, Cassie. Remember, stay quiet," I said. The scratching and barking stopped promptly and I just heard muffled whining and whimpered.

"Are you satisfied?" John's voice demanded through the door.

"Quite."

Screeches started coming from downstairs: the rest of the Infected were now in the house. Oh, the joy. I leaned forward and widened my stance into a classic fighting position. It was not in my plans to let them get passed me. No matter what it took, they were not getting to those rooms.

A strange feeling decided to come over me then. I knew I should be in one of those rooms, hiding, too. Here I was, though, in a mad attempt to thwart the monster's silly little endeavors to kill and feed off of the last survivors of the abandoned and quarantined city. The last people I'd ever see if the Infected were permitted to get to them. I would be alone if they were allowed to win.

I didn't know what was happening to me. In fact, I didn't have a clue, but I did know that whatever it was helped people. I could actually do something important for once. I had never not wanted to help people. I've always liked helping people. Not being capable of doing something had always made me feel weak, unimportant, and a constant nuisance. It wasn't like that any more.

So, there I was, being all important and stuff and doing something good to help the good citizens of Manhattan. Or what was left of them. Even if I had died that night trying to protect them, my only regret would have been not being able to protect my own family from death.

"Stay absolutely quiet, everyone. I do not want to hear a single sound come from any of these rooms. If anyone is bleeding, cover up the blood with anything you have lying around!" I whispered loudly. People did hear me. That fact was proven when I heard low murmurs break out in the rooms as my command was passed back to those who didn't hear me. "Sh-h!"

More screeches sounded from the rooms down a floor. It almost sounded as if they knew we were all hiding up here. I braced myself for an imminent fight and tried my hardest to work myself into that irrational and uncivilized state. I tried to quickly learn how I could turn it on and off at will. If I could just figure out how to do that, things would be just that much easier for me.

Eventually, I gave up on that effort and concentrated on the Infected's incessant noises. I would just have to experiment later. If there even was a later for me. But right at that moment there were lives at stake. I had to think of those people and my dog before I tried to get anywhere with my own priorities.

The first Infected reached the top of the stairs a few seconds later. My heart fluttered involuntarily when I recognized the Infected male as the Alpha Male. He would most likely be itching to prove himself. That was all fine and dandy, but in such a tight space there wouldn't be a whole lot of room for maneuvering.

He spotted me, grimaced after recognizing me, then started to stumble in my general direction. That was intriguing to me: it was like he didn't particularly want to fight me. His fear of me, whatever it was about me that he feared, was trying to override his desire to be the Alpha Male. But I had fled. Shouldn't he be in the clear or something? He could pretend he scared me off.

And apparently he thought so, too. He stopped halfway to me and. . . Smirked? Yes, that was definitely a smirk. Or at least it was close enough to one. The Alpha inhaled, then roared. My eyes widened and I could feel my jaw fall open slightly. Not in fear or surprise, mind you. . . No, it was more like in an attempt to show off my teeth without bearing them and seem more dangerous than I probably was.

More Infected appeared on the landing and started to move slowly toward me. They started to move even more slowly as they began to get closer to me. Good god these things were skittish. It was like they were unsure if they wanted to continue to get closer to me.

I couldn't allow them to get closer, however. Whether or not they wanted to, I was going to make sure they didn't. I exhaled sharply in a sort of snort and took a step forward, glaring and growling as mean as I could manage.

It worked like a charm. The Infected stopped advancing and commenced to move back toward the stairs. These creatures really were afraid of me, and all of them had gone completely silent once again. That kind of made me calmer, but I tried to sustain my glower. I needed to stay frightening.

Still they moved backward and around their "fearless" leader. How wonderful. The Alpha watched them go by him frantically, then he abruptly screeched angrily. Insubordinate behavior was apparently not going to be tolerated by him.

Unfortunately for him, though, his sudden screech had caught me off guard and my irrational side returned. I stepped forward and snarled brutally. The Alpha jumped in surprise and also began to back away from me. Oh, the power of fear. How wonderful that was to use against things.

If these things would just realize that they could take me easily as a group, I'd be out of their poor excuse for lives, but instead they constantly continued to run away from and cower in front of me. . .

Just as wildebeest run from one single lion. . . As a group, with their big horns and powerful legs, they could easily drive out and even possibly kill said lion, but they fear the lion too much and they just turn and haul ass. . .

Was I the lion in this situation?

That immediately spawned images of me sitting and gorging on one of those nasty Infected, and that just caused me to feel sick to my stomach. Those things sure as hell did not look at all appetizing.

I decided that if I was going to be the lion and they were going to be the wildebeest, I was going to go vegan.

A light suddenly illuminated in my head. I needed to keep these tainted humans away from these people. I had to make them too afraid to ever come back. Wildebeest just don't go lurking around the lion's den. I would have to teach them that the hard way.

It was time to make some noise and kill some monsters.

"Somebody scream," I bequeathed, speaking to the nearest door. The Infected looked up at me, but they continued down the stairs. "Don't ask me questions. Just get someone, anyone, to scream for me."

There was a few seconds' hesitation as they contemplated my petition and who should scream, then my request was finally fulfilled. Someone who sounded a whole lot like a child screamed bloody murder. Several answering screeches sounded off downstairs and from the stairs, but it wasn't enough. I had to find the trigger so I could clear them out of the house! Anger! Anger seemed to work every time!

"John! You're rather good at this. Enrage me! I need to drive those things away from the house. Just make me angry, I don't care how!" I ordered, trying to find something on my own to make me angry, and rather failingly.

He didn't even hesitate or argue with me at all. A second after I had told him to infuriate me, I heard a dog yelp with pain and start to whimper loudly. It was Cassie, and she wouldn't stop whimpering in pain. He had hurt my Cassie badly enough to make her whimper non-stop!

Smart, but very underhanded.

"No hard feelings? You told me _anything_," John asked.

If I hadn't asked him, that door would have been off its hinges and John's head would have been mine faster than you could say. . . Some small word that was easy to pronounce, but I can't think of one right now! Just know it would have been fast!

But I had asked him. I had to take my fury out on the Infected instead of him. I couldn't answer him, either. My dog was in immense pain and I was pissed off. Nothing intelligent would have come out of my mouth.

Instead, I snarled savagely and furiously, then launched myself down the hall, almost crashing into a wall before I could stop myself. The Infected had all conglomerated in the living room and kitchen, probably trying to come up with a plan to get around me and into those rooms with their food. Those hypothetical plans were about to be rudely and violently interrupted.

I sailed down the flight of at least eight or nine steps and landed heavily on top of an Infected woman who was the closest to the bottom of the stairs. Most of the Infected had heard my snarl, and this Infected had wandered over to investigate. Bad move on her part. She squealed when I landed on her and the surrounding Infected immediately scattered.

Just like Wildebeest.

She scrambled frantically at the floor as I pinned her down. She screeched and squealed fitfully, calling for someone to help. None was going to come. No wildebeest would come to the rescue of one under the claws of a pissed off lion. I kept her down and did horrible unspeakable things to that Infected.

Not really, but I can pretend.

Every time she tried to pull away from me, I would just pull her back to me and start to pummel her again, causing her to squeal in pain. Snarling, I somehow decided to finish this. I grabbed the Infected's head in both of my hands and violently wrenched it to the side. Her neck snapped and she went silent and limp.

That was the first one I'd killed, and I didn't even know I could do something that. I wasn't even sure I had really known _how_ to do something like. Snapping someone's neck. I saw it happen on tv all the time, but I had never thought I would be capable of it.

Apparently I was, because I did.

I stood up, panting, and stepped over the dead Infected. I hadn't killed one of them yet, and now I had. How would they react? They were already standing as far away as the walls of the house would allow. Now that I had taken down one of their own, would it instill enough fear into them to make sure they didn't invade on my turf?

That one kill hadn't abated my anger. I bared my teeth and took a step toward the Infected. They took a step back in correspondence. All were crouched down and growling at me.

More of them were going to die. I had to kill more. One was not going stop them from coming back. . . I needed to kill another. . . I needed to get rid of this anger. I needed. . . I needed. . .

. . . I needed to kill the Alpha.

It was brilliant! Kill the Alpha Male and the Infected would think twice before coming after me and the people I'm around again.

Where was he?

I looked around all over the place for him. To weed him out, I snapped at the nearest one and feinted a forward lunge. All of them snarled and moved back, trampling each other in order to get away from an attack that was not coming.

Then I really acted.

My next victim didn't know what hit him. I leaped on him and took him down. We wrestled for a while, him screeching and squealing and growling. He put up more of a fight than the chick, but he succumbed to the same fate as the girl.

Once he was finished, I stood up and took another step to the Infected, who took another step back.

These creatures wouldn't endure this killing spree uninterrupted. Soon they would riot and demand that their "fearless leader" stop the tyrant threatening to kill a good number of his faithful followers. That was when I would take him down.

It only took one more kill. Another female. Angry growls and screeches rippled through the crowd. I heard a crash as some of the Infected escaped out a window. Whatever. I just wanted the Alpha. . .

And I got him.

He shoved his way through the crowd, violently pushing his people into the walls and the floor until he was in front of me, panting as hard as I was.

My anger hadn't subsided at all. I was still ticked off beyond reasoning. That was good. My anger made me feel strong. Unstoppable, even.

I was panting heavily, heavier than I thought would have been required. So was the Alpha, but he hadn't done anything exercise-wise. . . Oh well. I needed to beat the living out of him.

With a screech, we both lunged for each other at the same time. We collided and fell to the ground, each snapping at the other and trying to get some leverage. We parted several times, but always just met again to continue the wrestling match.

He had learned from watching the first three times not to let his head near me or let me behind him. I was going to have to kill him some other way.

But how?

We parted once again in the middle of the fight, each panting heavily and both of us bleeding. He wasn't bleeding as freely as I was, though. It must have been one of the traits of the Infected that made them even more dangerous.

We circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

This was the only thing that reminded me that the Infected were not, in fact, like prey at all. Wildebeest didn't normally send the lead Wildebeest to fight off an attacking lion. In fact, not a whole lot of animals that were on the bottom of the food chain would fight back against their predator unless they were already under attack. I hadn't attacked this Alpha. No, he had engaged me.

I could not get behind him no matter what I tried. He wouldn't let me. I needed to find a way to kill him, too, in order to convince the others not to come back. A lot of the Infected had already evacuated in order to give us more room to fight, but there were still a lot of them left. Witnesses. That was good, at least.

He launched himself at me again and we were thrown into another wrestling match. This time, instead of staying in the living room, we ended up rolling into the kitchen.

I was forcefully slammed against the fridge, and as I started to go loopy from getting my head hit, I banged him against a cabinet. That was when I had started to see the stars. I really started to hope that the Alpha Male would be seeing the stars, too. I needed a little bit of time to recover.

Apparently the Alpha's head was harder than my own. I had no time to react before he was on me. I was suddenly on the floor and he was on top of. I guess all Infected's head's were super hard. I had slammed a few heads against concrete this night. None had been knocked unconscious or anything.

Oh no.

I screeched angrily at him and the Alpha promptly stepped back off of me. I leaped to my feet and football-tackled him to the ground. We had switched places, so now I had the upper hand. Only this time, I was not going to lose that leverage. I was going to win this fight for certain.

The Alpha kicked me off from on top of him and I crashed rather painfully into the counter behind me. Instead of lying in danger, dazed and confused, I rolled to my fours and scurried, half upright and half hunched over, to the other side of counter just as he was about to pounce on top of me. I heard him _thunk_ into the counter and screech. I had to end this some time soon. I was getting tired and my rage wasn't going to be enough to fuel me soon.

I looked up. There, sitting on the counter in front of me, was a knife rack. Talk about your lucky moments. There were at least six in their places. All I had to do was get there, grab a few, then make minced meat of the Alpha.

A crash came from above me and I craned my neck back to see the Alpha on top of the counter, glowering down at me. I snarled and jumped forward, then hurled myself on top of the counter next to the one the Alpha was on. The counter with the knives. I pulled out the first one I could reach and turned around. The Alpha growled and pushed off the counter toward me.

I was ready with my knife. He tackled me and I drove the knife as deep as I could into his chest. Or whatever it was that I had stabbed him in.

He snarled and screeched with pain. I shoved him off of me and he fell to the floor, the knife protruding out from his left collar bone. That wasn't going to be enough to kill him. . .

So I grabbed another one and pounced, driving this one up to its handle into the center of his chest.

Killing him with a weapon wouldn't look as dangerous, so I took out the knife, picked him up and threw him over the counter back into the opening of the kitchen.

I didn't know I would be that strong. . . Wow. . . I had just been expecting to drag him around the counter. Apparently another part of me had had other plans.

I jumped up on the counter, snarled, and jumped back down on the Alpha. He had rolled over onto his back and was wrenching the knives from his abdomen. He squealed and I finally had enough leverage over him to get my hands on his head.

That was the end of him.

I stood up, breathing hard, and stepped over the dead Alpha's body. What remained of the Infected who had stayed to watch the fight backed away from me. I growled, leaning forward, and advanced on them. One glance at their fallen leader was all they needed. They turned tail and fled.

With that all over, I ran up the stairs and banged on the door John was behind, causing several screams from each of the rooms. "John! My dog better be ok, otherwise you'll be joining the four dead ones downstairs!"

John opened the door and Cassie came tumbling out, her hind quarters wiggling madly with happiness, and she forced me to the ground as she noticed me, drowning me with her kisses. At least now I knew that she was ok and John hadn't hurt her that bad. Not that it made me any less angry with him. I pushed her off before she could smother me.

"I didn't hurt her that badly, did I? I just kicked her a little. She was fine after some condolences and compliments and a whole lot of petting. But I didn't hurt her that bad anyway! No hard feelings, right, Lex?" he asked me he walked out of the room along with several other people.

As he passed by me, I stuck out my leg and tripped him. He fell flat on his face. "No. Nothing personal. And call me Alexis. You don't deserve to call me 'Lex.'"

* * *

**Well she's kind of bad-ass, isn't she? These last two chapters have been fairly long, nine or ten pages in my Microsoft Word, which is like, the longest chapters I've ever written in the history of me writing! Okay maybe not, I think one in one story was like 15 pages long. . . I'm not really sure. Probably not. But anyway, I'll wait a while before I post the next few chapters to make sure I don't overwhelm you. XD I'm glad people seem to really like it, though! I was afraid people would think it was a lame idea. XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**PART ONE: INFECTED**

**CHAPTER EIGHT  
**

* * *

It is the second of May, 2012. My birthday. . . Is in four months and two days. Yeah. September fourth. I'll be twenty-one years old. I'll tell Dr. Neville. Wonder what he would get me if I did tell him? Nothing I couldn't just find in some store, probably. Maybe he'd swipe me a cake. . .

Why am I even worrying about that? It's not like it really matters. I missed my last two birthdays. They barely hold any meaning to me anymore. Although, now that I'm living with someone again that could why I'm starting to get excited. It is my twenty-first birthday. I'm almost legally old enough to drink alcohol now. Not that I couldn't before. No one was going to bust me.

Well, Dr. Neville wouldn't let me. . . He had a few different drinks locked up somewhere. He never let me near his stash.

Dr. Neville. . . He tells me that each afternoon, every single afternoon on the hour of twelve o'clock, he goes out to the South Street Seaport and does some sort of radio broadcast to try to get the attention of anybody still alive. Poor Dr. Neville. It's been two years and no one has replied or met him at the Seaport. Yet, still he goes out faithfully, trying to get people to know that they can be protected. They can be sheltered. They don't have to be alone.

That's not how he and I met. But I'll get to that later.

I just have to say that I'm running out of things to say in these little journal entry type things. I've told you about most of what's going on. . . Told you a bit about Dr. Neville and Sam. . . There's not much else to say. Some of my other chapters might just dive right into the story part.

First. . .

It was several days after that night. John had informed me that the little band of people had come together with more or less than 3000 people. When the sun rose on that traumatic effect, there were less than 1500 left. I really felt guilty about not helping all of those people.

Some houses weren't hit, though, and I was grateful for that. Mostly it was just the two blocks on either side of my block and the set of houses behind those blocks. How could there be 1500 people in an area of four or five houses, you may ask. Well, let's do some math.

We figure that there are close to nine or ten houses to one block, right? That's on or around 50 houses that the Infected hit that night. There were seven or eight people to a house, so we figure that that's around 350 people. No, I agree that 350 is no where near 1500 people, and I did save a lot of people that night, but we do have to take into consideration those who didn't make it through the night because of that blasted Infection. Six out of seven people in those houses died, and the last person either turned or was immune. Most of the houses didn't even show up in the morning. Sometimes all seven showed up. Sometimes it was just one. You get the picture.

The worst part of it all was that we could bet on seeing more than 1300 of the last 1500 die. More than 100 of those 1500 would turn into an Infected. Less than 20 of us would make it to next week. Those were harsh odds, but it was sadly the truth. It was exactly what was going to happen.

We had decided that we would need to stay put. Stay in one neighborhood. After that night, there was to be only one more move, and then we would stay put. Bobby and I had a great opportunity, and we took it for our own good. John was undoubtedly angry with us, but whatever.

However, before that, there was a strong debate on whether or not I should be killed rather than allowed to stay with the humans. . .

* * *

They told me to stay awake all night just to make sure that no one else was going to attack them. The Infected I had killed were moved out and I was to walk the perimeter of the house as a sort of sentry. But first, I wanted to find Bobby and bring him home and make sure he was ok.

I walked in the general direction of where I thought Bobby had gone to hide. I was seriously afraid that was I going to find him dead, but as I walked I called out his name, and he finally emerged from a dark house, looking around for the person who was calling him. He spotted me and waved, then started to walk in my direction.

Sighing, I ran up to him and we stopped in front of each other, smiling. "How are your wounds? Feeling better?" I asked, stepping next to him so I could escort him to the house.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The bites sting a little bit, but I stopped most of the bleeding. But, how are _you_? Are _you _ok? You seem like you're out of breath, but I don't think you've been doing much running."

Tilting me head, I blinked. "No. I feel fine and I don't feel out of breath. Why do you ask?"

"You're breathing pretty hard for not being out of breath."

Was I? I didn't feel like I was. I felt like I was breathing rather normally in fact. But when I did compare my breathing pattern to how Bobby was breathing, I _was_ breathing a whole lot faster than he was. That wasn't strange or anything. I hadn't run all that much, like Bobby said.

"Huh. . . Well, I don't know what to tell you, but I feel fine. Oh, I definitely got those things afraid of me like majorly. I killed their Alpha Male and after that, all of them got the hell out of Dodge, let me tell you."

Bobby chuckled. "At least we're safe now. It's just too bad that you weren't able to save your family the same way, too."

I stopped dead in my tracks. It was true! Back then, I had hid from those scary beasts under a pew instead of confronting them like I had tonight.

Two nights ago, the Infected had tried their hardest just to make a meal out of me, and now, this time they were reluctant to stay within my presence for more than needed, and in some cases they didn't want to be near me at all. After that night. . . No, wait. . .

After that Infected had bit me!

Finally noticing that I had stopped, Bobby turned to me and took a step toward me, looking appalled at himself. "Oh my god! I can't believe I said that. Did I offend you? I totally did not mean for it to sound that way. I'm so sorry!"

Shaking my head, I took a few steps to catch up to him. "No. Actually, I'm quite glad you did say it," I assured him sincerely as we started to walk again. "Those things, those monsters, didn't fear me until after I had been bitten. . . How could I possibly have overlooked that?"

"Do you think that it could be that you're Infected on some small level?" Bobby asked, looking at me funny. I could have sworn I saw him take a step away from me, and I felt sad for an instant before I told myself Bobby wouldn't do that.

I shook my head gravely. "I really don't have a clue, but it is quite possible that I am. I don't feel the urge to eat anyone yet, though, so maybe I'm one of the good ones. If that's even possible. But, if I start to drool over someone's arm, I want you to shoot me, ok?"

Bobby laughed. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, then, because I'm not really all that sure I could pull that off."

"Well, before you get someone to shoot me or do it yourself, let me dine on John for a while first, would you?" I asked sarcastically. I really did not like that man with any part of my being.

"We could 'accidentally' lock you in a room with him if you really want us too," Bobby suggested slyly. Guess he didn't like John either. I began to wonder whether or not anyone really liked that man.

We finally reached the house and I went about my duty of walking around the house in order to make sure nothing was going to attack the house again. That wouldn't be good for the people inside. The dead bodies of the Infected had been strategically placed by myself along the route I took. Every time I passed one, the smell would do its job to keep me aware and not sleepy.

And boy, did I need to stay alert.

I was tired like hell. My body ached like hell. All of my scratches and bites were smarting like hell. The only thing I really wanted to do was sleep. Like hell. It took all of my remaining strength to keep myself from not falling over dead. Or asleep. I couldn't wait to go home and snuggle up under the covers with my adorable dog. I couldn't wait to put on my comfortable pajamas. The clothes I was wearing weren't really all that comfortable and I wanted out of them soon.

But could I really go home to all of that? Now that I knew how useful I was? Could I really leave all of those people unattended and vulnerable to another attack?

I could, that's for sure.

I really had no obligation to do anything for those people, but my conscience would not let me leave them. I would feel horrible if the next time I heard from them, it would be because there was only one person left.

Would I really be leaving them vulnerable? Those horrible things wouldn't come near these people for fear of being attacked or stopped by me again. That alone should keep the people safe so long as the Infected continued to believe that I was still lurking around somewhere.

Eventually my body was too tired to even be effected by the smell of the Infected and I was just walking around the house like a zombie. I didn't even realize that the sun was starting to rise until _it_ happened.

Pain scratched at my skin. I gasped and looked down at my bare hands. It was like a sunburn was working its way across my skin. I could feel my skin tightening and shriveling. My mouth hung open with pain and I scrambled around the house to get inside quick before they got third degree burns.

My face was also starting to feel it.

People were already up and walking about. When I bust in through the door, several people gasped and skirted around me. I fell down, holding my hands away from my body.

"Cold water!" I gasped, getting up off my knees and walking awkwardly to the kitchen, my hands still held at arms' length. The burning had stopped, but the pain hadn't.

It seemed like it took miles to get the sink, but when I did, I painfully turned on the faucet and stuck my hands under the flow, sighing with relief as the cold water soothed the horrible burns. The people milling about all peeked inside the little kitchen.

"What's going on?" I heard John's voice demand as he shouldered his way through the crowd.

I turned around and held up my dripping hands. His eyes widened and he strode swiftly up to me and grabbed my wrists. "What did you do?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "I don't know! I was just outside. The sun started to rise and my hands got like, extreme sunburn!" I explained, wincing as he accidently touched a burnt part.

He paused, deliberating the situation. "I've only seen burns from the sun like this on one thing. . . And that's the Infected!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd and fear welled inside my chest. How were they going to react to that? I didn't want them to be afraid of me! People overreacted when they were afraid of things! And I wasn't dangerous. . .

"She's turning into one of them! Only they burn like that from a little exposure from the sun!" someone shouted.

John's hands tightened around my wrists and I yelped in pain. "We have to take care of you if you're going to turn into one of them. We don't need another thousand people being killed by your kind."

"My kind?" I growled indignantly. "I'm so not one of them! For starters, I'm still speaking English and not Incoherent-Snarling! Second, I'm not trying to eat you, now am I? Third, _I still have hair_!"

Whispers broke out in the crowd this time. They knew there was some truth in my words. That was the only sign I was Infected on some level except the whole scary-snarling-Infected-are-afraid-of-me thing. I'd be afraid of someone if the scary monsters were afraid of them.

"We have to be sure," John replied after a few minutes. "I'm sorry. We're grateful for what you did for us last night, but you must understand."

"Normally you would be right, but seriously! The only things I've attacked is the Infected! I'm not even craving human flesh right now. I actually want some eggs right now. Scrambled. But that's beside the point! Don't people get, like, flu symptoms or something when they turn? Eh? I haven't even got a temperature! I'm not all sick-looking like the other people! I'm not turning!"

Bobby came flying out of nowhere. He shoved past all of the people and stood in front of John, glaring at him. He had a different shirt on, so I assumed he had gotten his wounds all dressed and stuff. "She's not an Infected! She might have the virus, but that doesn't mean she's a monster!"

"What he said!"

People started to murmur again to each other. John let go of me and turned to Bobby. "We can't take that chance."

"Why not? Lex stopped those creatures from getting more people than they could have. She killed their leader, and that means they're not coming back for a while! She hasn't hurt anyone."

"She might."

"And she might not!"

John looked to the others around the kitchen, looking for a consensus. What were they going to do with me? I know that's what the unspoken question was.

Finally, John turned to me. "We won't kill you."

"Yes!" I cried.

He held up a finger. "Under one condition."

My heart sank. It was an ultimatum. I could see it coming. What did he want? "What kind of condition?"

"You have to stay with us. Protect us from those things. If you do that, and if you don't start trying to eat one of us, then we won't kill you. That's the only condition. If you refuse, then we can't spare you. We don't need you running around alone if you do turn," he explained.

I gaped at him. He wanted me to travel around with them? I couldn't go home? What What the Hell kind of a plan was that?

"You can't keep moving around. It gives them something to chase. Find a place, then stay put. I'll stay with you then. If not, you can kill me. Then, you're out one asset," I countered.

John straightened and looked around, sighing in annoyance. "Fine. Do we have a deal?"

"If we don't have a deal, that means you're going to kill me. What other choice do I have, as a life-loving person?" I shot back smartly, glaring at the man with all the hatred I could muster. I really hoped I was looking very Infected-ish right then.

"Good. We'll leave soon. Someone look after that burn. We'll move, find a good neighborhood, then settle for good. Everybody, you have an hour to get your stuff ready. Someone, find a car with tinted windows. We need to carry Alexis out of the sun to make sure she isn't injured. Let's go!" John ordered, walking out of the kitchen.

"Wait! I want to go back to my house to pick out some things to bring with me. Is that ok?"

John stopped to look back at me. "I guess so. Bobby, go with her to help her. Don't take too long."

Bobby turned around and walked over to me, kneeling down. "Let's get some ointment or something on that."

Nodding, I got to my feet and followed Bobby up the stairs to the bathroom with the medicine cabinet. I stood in the doorway as he searched through everything, finally coming out with some gauze and Neosporin.

"Not more gauze," I muttered sarcastically, lifting my right arm to indicate the bite I had told him about earlier. "The last time I had to dress a wound, it was the wound that made me what I am now."

"You dressed that like a night ago, right? You should probably change the bandage," Bobby suggested, tenderly squeezing some medicated gel on my hands, spreading it around with one finger. I hissed through my teeth against the pain of his touch. He glanced at me and apologized, then wrapped the gauze around my hands.

I sighed and corrected him. "Probably. It's been a day and a half, more or less, since I put them on."

Bobby nodded, then helped me take the jacket off that I was wearing. He pulled at the gauze on my right arm. The bandages fell to the floor and he took a step back, his mouth open slightly. "Doesn't look like we need to, after all."

"Why?" I asked, looking down at my arm. My mouth fell open, too, and I cautiously touched my arm with my bandaged hand.

The bite wound was gone.

* * *

**Been a while since I've updated. Sorry about that. Things might get a little slow for a while, too. So just bare with me! I'll start updating two chapters at a time so I can get it all out to you. So, chapter nine isn't too far behind. Enjoy. =3 **


	9. Chapter 9

**PART ONE: INFECTED**

**CHAPTER NINE  
**

* * *

So, apparently my new talents included enhanced healing. That was going to a very useful thing. I lifted both of my arms to examine them and saw there were only a few tiny scars from the battle last night.

"Well, now we won't have to waste any more bandages on me," I pointed out.

Bobby chuckled. "Guess not."

"Let's go find Cassie before we go to my house: I need to feed her and she should come say good-bye to the house too. Plus, she needs to go for a walk or something," I said while pulling my jacket back on.

My friend nodded. "Of course. Wait here, first."

I did as I was told out of curiosity. Where was he going? What was he doing? I walked to the doorway and peered out of it to see where he had gone to.

After a few minutes, he returned with a large blanket, Cassie trotting along behind him. He motioned for me to come out of the bathroom, and I gave him a confused look before obliging.

"What's that for?" I asked while leaning down to pet my dog.

"Well, you can't travel out in the sun. We need something to cover your vulnerable flesh with. Your face is looking a little red from the sun. Luckily that didn't get burned as much as your hands! That would have been a pain in the ass to dress," he explained with a smile, ushering me down the stairs to the door. Cassie already had her leash on her. Bobby was on top of things!

"Good idea!" I praised, giving him a grateful glance.

When we reached the door, we stopped and Bobby draped the blanket over my body and put his hands on my shoulders to guide me. "I remember where your house is, I think. I know the general direction, anyway."

I shifted the blanket around until I had a small hole I could see out of. "Don't worry, I don't need this covering all of my body. So long as I'm shaded, I'll be fine," I assured him. "Just keep me from tripping on something. Cassie will know where to go, too," I pointed out.

"Right. Well, here we go!" he announced. The door opened and I was blinded for a few seconds, receding into the darkness of my blanket. He pushed me out the door and we were off toward my house.

"It's alright: the sun is to our backs," he said in my ear. I moved the blanket away from my face in response. Cassie was bounding a little ways in front of us, only limited by the leash around her. She didn't tug against Bobby's grip for the most part, and she knew heel, so he controlled her with that often.

"Turn down this street," I prompted, pointing. Bobby obliged and my house finally came into view after a half an hour of walking. Cassie was glad to see it: she yipped and jumped up and tugged against her leash.

"Can I?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. She won't run off," I assured him. He let go of the leash and she sprinted off toward the house and stopped the door, sitting down and whining. Both Bobby and I laughed at her quietly as we reached the house. She stood up, her hind-quarters moving back and forth.

"My key. . . ," I muttered under my breath, fidgeting under the heavy blanket to get into my jacket pocket. The pockets zipped, so there was no way for me to lose my keys or any other object unless my pocket had a hole in it.

Which it didn't.

I found the key and handed it to Bobby. I wasn't going to stick my hand out into that sunlight. I didn't want them to burn again. They were covered in gauze, yes, but there were still parts of my hands that were unprotected. Burning was not the most pleasurable feeling. It was at the top of my "Most Painful" list.

Bobby fumbled with the lock at first, but finally got the door open and stepped aside to let me in. Cassie almost tripped me while rushing inside the house, but I steadied myself and followed my dog inside.

"I'll close the blinds," Bobby offered, bustling about the house to close all of the blinds so no sun wouldn't get into the house. "Ok, you're clear!"

I dropped the blanket and breathed a sigh of relief: it was getting hot under the heavy comforter. "Thanks!" I called. "I'll just be a few minutes. I need to feed Cassie and then I'll gather stuff."

"Take your time," Bobby suggested, plopping down on my couch.

Nodding, I walked toward the laundry room and the linen closest where Cassie's food was stored. She followed me there, circling my feet and whining. I pushed her away with my leg and told her to sit. She obliged, and I scooped up her food with the cup and set the bowl down for her to eat. She stood and started to wolf it down.

As I started off toward my room, I noticed the Christmas tree out of the corner of my eye. I glanced back and forth between the hall to my room and the tree, then glided over the tree.

The couch creaked as he turned to look at me. "What are you doing?" he asked me, giving me a weird look.

"Opening my presents," I muttered irritably. "It's the least I can do."

I started sifting through all of the colorfully wrapped presents until I found all five of my presents: two from my mom, two from my dad, and one from "Santa," even though I was aware he did not exist. I hadn't asked for a whole lot this Christmas, so that was pretty much was I got, not a whole lot.

Bobby came and sat next to me. "Alright. Let's see what all you got, then."

Giving him a grateful glance, I tore at the wrapping on the one labeled "From, Santa." Inside was a box.

"Woo! I got a box," I said half-heartedly. "It's all I ever wanted."

That was a constant joke in our family. Whenever there was a box, we would joke that it was the actual present. When there was paper covering the present, it was the paper we got for a present.

My heart just hadn't been in it then.

I stripped the box of its tape and opened the top flaps and pulled out a reading lamp. It was yellow and came equipped with a charger and little tab that was used to attach it to a book cover. Hands-free reading light.

"Well, this'll come in handy. Since I'll be up during nights. There won't be a whole lot of light to read with," I pointed out.

"Of course! Reading will keep you from getting bored!" Bobby encouraged me. "And no batteries needed."

"Until the power is cut off from lack of personnel," I muttered.

Bobby waved his hand. "Nah. . . They're pretty much self-maintaining now. We'll just have to go down there and cut the power for every other house in the state, leaving power just for the block we're on."

I smiled. Optimist. That was exactly what I needed right then. "Yeah. . . I guess we could have power for a few more years."

"Atta girl! What else did you get?"

Cassie wandered over, whining, and licked at Bobby's face. I giggled. "Don't say that around Cassie. She'll think you're talking to her."

"Apparently! Cassie– no!"

Shaking my head as Cassie lied at the foot of the couch, I opened the rest of my presents: my mom had gotten me a gift certificate to the book store (a lot of good that would do. I could just loot the book store now), and the Matrix Trilogy. At least those I could watch if I ran out of books and didn't feel like stealing new ones. My dad had bought me the Chronicles of Riddick Trilogy. More entertainment! He also got me a little stuffed puppy with extremely soft fur. If stuffed animals had fur.

"You made out like a bandit," Bobby commented, picking up all the wrapping paper and tape for me.

"You don't need to pick up my trash. . . ," I said, getting to my feet.

"I know."

I looked down at the tree, sighing as Bobby disappeared into the kitchen. My family wasn't going to get their presents. A small box wrapped in paper with little dogs caught my attention. I knelt down and picked it up, looking for a label.

It was to Cassie.

"Oh look! There's a present here for Cassie," I called. My dog lifted her head and looked at me, her tongue lolling.

Bobby came around the corner. "Oh? Will she open it?"

"I don't know. Cassie, come here, girl. You've got a present!" I called, wiggling the box enticingly. She perked her ears forward and trotted over to me, sniffing loudly at the box. "Good girl! Pull on the paper. . ."

Cassie just sniffed at it and whined.

I rolled my eyes. "Guess she's not smart enough to unwrap her own present."

Bobby chuckled. "Apparently."

_Apparently_ he liked that word.

Putting the box on the ground, I took off the paper and opened the little white box. What the hell could my parents have gotten the dog? A new toy? She had a bazillion.

I pulled out a blue collar with diamond studs and a shiny star license tag. Cassie started sniffing at it and licking the collar, whining. At least she liked the collar. I gaped at it and its prettiness.

"Wow. Nice bling," Bobby said, an eyebrow raised.

"Cassie is well-loved," I murmured. "Come here– hold still! You want this on or not?" I said, grabbing her by her old, black collar. I slipped it off her head and situated the new one on her neck, tightening and adjusting it before it was all ready. She stood and shook her head, getting a feel for her new collar.

"It looks really good on her," Bobby said.

Sighing, I nodded. "It really does. Well, I'd better go get my stuff so John doesn't think we ran off."

Bobby's eyes lit up. "But Cassie's here. . . And John made the mistake of not sending anyone else with us to make sure you didn't run off. . . It takes a few minutes to get here. We _could_ run off."

I looked at Bobby, confused. "But if I ran off he would–"

"He would have to _find_ you first!" Bobby exclaimed, getting to his feet, looking eager. "This is our chance! No, _your_ chance! I know you can't _want_ to be a guard dog."

I paused. "No. . . No I don't. . . ."

"Then let's go! We'll take Cassie and we'll find an isolated place to stay."

Without looking at Bobby, I thought that over. John no longer had me under his radar, and he didn't have my dog with him as a form of coercion. He couldn't threaten her to get me to cooperate. I could be free to live alone. . . Not entirely alone, which was even better. I would have Bobby, someone to talk to.

I turned to Bobby with a new resolve. "Fine. I'll get the stuff I want to bring along and we'll get out of here. We can take my car. You know how to hot-wire cars?"

He gave me a funny look. "Yeah, cause I just love being a criminal. I also know how to effectively pickpocket and break into people houses."

"No need for sarcasm," I replied in good-nature. "Well, that's ok because you don't need to. . . ."

"I was gonna say. . . Why did you ask?"

"Well, I need you to move the cars out from in front of my driveway. While I was packing, I was gonna get you to move the cars. I still need you to move them, actually. Here. . . ," I said, rummaging through a drawer in the bureau in the living room. I pulled out a screwdriver and handed it to Bobby.

He looked thoroughly confused. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Jam it into the ignition. I've had to do it once or twice with my car when I lost the keys. It's not a good way to drive the car, but I had to do it. So start moving some cars," I teased, walking toward my room.

"What if the doors are locked?" he called.

"You've got a screwdriver!"

I went into my closest and searched for my school bags. I found two and thought it sufficient. One of them was my volleyball bag, so it had tons of room. I grabbed my pillow, my blanket, and a few pajamas. I still had room in the bag, so I threw in some of my favorite clothes and other changes. There wasn't any room after that.

I used the second bag, a big duffle bag (since I had left my school bag at school on accident, I soon found out), and stuffed it with books, pads of paper, and my movies. I moved into the living room to find Bobby wasn't there, and I heard car engines roar outside.

I stuffed my new movies into the bag then looked at the little dog. It was cute, and I had a soft spot for. . . soft things. I sighed and threw it in. Something sentimental from my family members would be good for my soul.

"From Mom and Sadie. . . ," I muttered, trying to think of something sentimental I could have from them.

I walked back into my room after leaving my two bags in the living room and searched through all of my jewelry. Most I never ever wore and had been gifts from friends for birthdays. The one I was looking for was one my mother had given me for my sweet sixteen; a silver cross with rubies on each corner dangling on a silver chain. I had never worn it because I had never been a religious person.

I untangled the chain from another necklace and unhooked the clasp, then put it around my neck. It rested in between my collar bones, an apparently short necklace. At least that meant it wouldn't bounce around annoyingly.

Before I left my room, I saw my blue iPod sitting on my desk. I backtracked and shoved it in my purse, then unhooked my docking station from the wall and shoved it in with the rest of my movies. I was going to need more than movies and books to sate my boredom.

Once that was situated, I wandered into my sister's room and started to look through all of her stuff. She hadn't gotten me any gifts, so instead I would find something of hers to cart around.

That something happened to be a thread bracelet she had made in school one day. It was a braid of yellow, green, and purple thread. I slipped it onto my wrist and played with the two ends that tied it together until it was untied. I tightened it, then hurried to the kitchen and found some super glue I proceeded to use in order to make sure the knot wouldn't come untied.

With all of my sentimental gifts situated, I headed back out into the living room to find Bobby back inside. Since I hadn't heard him come back in, this was quite the surprise. I growled for an instance instead of doing my normal gasping. He backed up a step, lifting his hands defensively.

"Just me," he said.

"Sorry. You surprised me," I breathed.

"Oh. Didn't mean to. Is she allowed on the couch?" he asked, pointing to the couch. I walked closer to see Cassie lying down, sleeping.

I waved my hand. "She can do whatever she wants now. It doesn't really matter."

"Right. . . Well, I moved most of the cars out of the middle of the street and out of the way of your driveway. We should be able to maneuver around the rest if we really need to," he said, reaching down to pick up one of the bags before I could.

I picked up the second bag, ignoring his kind gesture. He seemed to like doing that, so I wasn't going to question it anymore.

"Sweet! Thanks. Hope the screwdriver came in handy," I said, leading him toward the garage. I grabbed my keys off the key hanger and continued toward my car.

"Oh, it did. Some cars had their doors wide open and their keys in the ignition, others' doors were unlocked with no keys, but only two had locked doors. One had the window down far enough to unlock the door. The other one I had to throw a rock at it. I didn't think I could hit it with a screwdriver hard enough," he explained.

I gave him a weird look. He had broken a window and I hadn't heard it? Either he was lying or I just hadn't been paying very good attention. I shrugged it off and gave Bobby the keys before opening the garage door.

"You drive. I'll stay in the backseat and cover up. Get the car started and I'll go grab that blanket," I said. "and my dog, and a few more things."

Without waiting to hear his answer, I handed him my bag and left for the living room to get the blanket I had come here in. I also grabbed Cassie's leash and attached it to her new collar. She looked at me, her tongue lolling.

"Ready to go for a car ride? Huh? Gonna go on a car ride?" I said, ruffling her ears. She panted and jumped off the couch. Bobby appeared next to me randomly.

"I got that stuff in the trunk already, so I thought I'd come and see what you needed help with."

"You are my hero," I complimented, handing him Cassie's leash. "You can take her, and then you can get the food bag out of the closet for me. I'll get her food and water dish and some of her toys. Ok?"

Bobby nodded. "No problem. I'll get it. C'mon, Cassie," he crooned, walking off.

I gathered the blanket into my arms and started to look around the living room for some toys. I found a chew toy and a tug-o-war rope, and a teddy bear. Finding that sufficient, I stuck all three under the crook of my arm while I wrapped the blanket over me and headed for the garage, picking up Cassie's food and water dish on the way.

I opened the door and found Cassie in shotgun of my white Volkswagen Rabbit, panting happily. The car was running and the back doors were open and waiting for me. Bobby was just shutting the trunk when I walked into the garage.

"There's room in here for another car. Where is it?" he asked conversationally, waiting for me at the doors.

"In a church parking lot," I said, not unkindly.

"Oh. . . Sorry. . . ," he said, looking down.

I shook my head and crawled into the backseat, draping the blanket over my shoulders. Bobby helped me to get it in place when it wouldn't cooperate with me. "Don't worry about it."

"What kind of car was it?"

"A Nissan Pathfinder. Red."

"Sweet. Let's get out of this place, shall we?" he said, closing the door and walking around the car to get into the driver's seat.

"Do it," I said, pulling the blanket over my head as Bobby backed my car out of the driveway. I heard Cassie's collar and leash jingle as she moved about, trying to get a view of what was going on.

"Uh oh." Bobby muttered.

That was not a good thing to say. Panic rippled up my spine.

"What does that mean?" I demanded, clutching the blanket tighter to keep myself from taking it away from my head.

"Hang on: it's time for some evasive maneuvers. John sent some armed people to see how we were faring. They're on foot, so we'll escape them easily," he assured me.

"It's a good thing we left when we did, then," I muttered.

I heard the sound of gunfire and the unmistakable sound of bullets hitting my car. Anger flared up inside me. They were hurting my car! First they take me captive, then they threaten and hurt my dog, then they threaten me, then they start shooting holes in my car! They were all going to pay.

I heard my car accelerate and felt it swerve as Bobby peeled out of there. I squealed slightly as I was thrown into the seat and once when I hit my head against the door.

"Sorry about that. We lost them, though."

I moved around until I was in a better spot then rubbed my head. "We'll have to ditch my car, though. They know what it looks like. Not many Rabbits out there on the street."

"Too bad I didn't keep that screwdriver," Bobby lamented.

"We'll just find a car with the keys in the ignition," I suggested, curling up.

"This car isn't very good, anyway. The windows aren't even tinted. You must be getting hot under that heavy blanket."

I shrugged even though he wouldn't be able to see it. "I'll be ok until we get into the new car. I appreciate your concern, though."

I heard Bobby chuckle. "No problem."

After we traveled for a little ways, Bobby stopped the car and turned off the engine. "Alright, let's switch cars, now. I found some with their doors open. You pick one and I'll get all the gear."

I sat up and looked around, only to recede further in the blanket when the sun hit me. I waited until I heard my door open and I felt Bobby's hand on my shoulder. He guided me safely out the door and I made myself a little peep-hole and headed toward the first car I saw; a blue Jeep Commander. All four of it's doors were open.

Once I reached the car, nearly tripping twice on the way there, I crawled into the backseat and curled up again. After a few minutes I heard the trunk door open and heard Bobby throw the stuff into the car. I cautiously removed my blanket from my head and found the sun was deterred by tinted windows. I could feel my skin burning slightly, but it was tolerable.

"The keys are in the ignition. Picked a good one. And on the first try. Good job!" he commented, throwing my duffle bag into the trunk. Cassie was suddenly on top of me, sniffing at my face. At least now I knew she was in the car.

"It was just luck. I went to a car with the doors open. Chances were the keys were ready to be used."

Bobby nodded. "True. I just have to grab the dog food and the toys and water and food dish, then we can head out. What kinda place do you want to live in?"

"We'll talk about that once you get driving. Will you close these two doors for me first? I'm afraid to move in case the sun is on either side of me," I requested, giving him a sheepish smile.

In reply, Bobby walked around both sides of the Commander and shut the doors, then shut the passenger side door so Cassie couldn't escape.

"Thanks!" I called as he walked toward the Rabbit.

Bobby brought everything else over in one more trip, then we were on our way again.

"So, where we headed?"

I yawned. "Just pick a place. Preferably far away from the caravan and in a house. One with at least two rooms and yard. I'm just kidding. Any house will do."

He chuckled. "Alright. To any house, then. I'll drive to the other side of Manhattan, if you want."

I shook my head, feeling suddenly groggy. "You don't have to. Just somewhere where John can't find us. That'll do. . . ," I muttered, starting to drift. I pulled the blanket over my head.

"Alright. Just get some sleep. I'll wake you when we reach a house."

"Just get pick somewhere before the sun falls. . . I don't want those things following us. . . ."

"K."

Snuggling the blanket closer under my chin, I shut my tired eyes and it was several minutes before I was out like a light.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the latest addition to my little story! More to come next week hopefully. Unless I forget. XD **


	10. Chapter 10

**BOOK ONE: INFECTED**

**CHAPTER TEN**

**

* * *

**Ok. . . So now it's May fifth. Yeah, I shirked my writing for a few days. Sorry about that. I just had some better things to do.

Anyway, I never did find out what happened with John and the others. Did I feel bad about leaving them alone to handle the scary monsters all by themselves? For about three days. Then I got over it. I liked living free without having to guard a house. Life was just much better.

It was better, but it wasn't much easier.

This was a short little diary entry thingy, but I've said all I've needed to say. It's time to move on.

* * *

Several times that day we stopped while Bobby got out to look at something, grab a few supplies or something. I was asleep most of those times, so I wasn't particularly sure why he had stopped. House shopping, perhaps? Once he gave me a hamburger from McDonald's, so I figured someone else was out there. Why they would be in a McDonald's flipping patties, I had no idea.

"No, no one was in there. I had worked at Burger King for a while. It's pretty much the same thing," he had explained while he drove on.

"Ah," I said around a bite of cheeseburger.

When I had finished my much-needed meal, I snuggled back into the blanket in the back and fell back into a dreamless sleep, only awakened to Bobby shaking me gently several hours later.

"Lex! Come on; I found us a place to stay," he said.

Yawning widely, I propped my body up on an arm, the blanket falling around the small of my back. I squealed with pain and receded back into the blanket after feeling the sun hot on face.

"Oh, damn! Sorry I forgot!" he apologized quickly, helping me out of the car. I could hear Cassie barking at a window inside whatever house it was he taking me too.

"It's ok, don't worry about it. I did, too. Did you get everything?" I asked, pausing when Bobby stopped me to open the door. "Are you sure no one lives here?"

Once inside, I dropped the blanket and headed for the couch, still exhausted. Bobby was right behind me. "Yeah, I got everything inside before I woke you. Stay here while I get you a room and pin this blanket against the window."

I smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, Bobby. I'm gonna get a drink of water real quick and let Cassie outside. Unless she's already been out?"

He stopped to address me. "She hasn't been out since the stop at McDonald's. I gave her some water, then, too. She probably does need to get outside. Just be careful of the sun."

"Duh," I yawned, getting off the couch. "C'mon, Cass. Wanna go outside?"

Cassie was in front of me, headed toward the back door. I followed her, assuming she already had the whole house mapped out, and came to find she actually did. I let her outside quickly, only causing minimal damage to my face, then searched for the kitchen to get a glass of water.

I had to look through three cupboards before I found the glasses, but I found them, and I took a good, long drink of water.

"Lex?"

I snarled and dropped the glass out of surprise, crouching a little bit. Bobby backed up a few paces, his hands lifting defensively in front of him. I sighed and straightened up, smiling apologetically at my friend. "Sorry. . . I'm very jumpy now. . . "

Chuckling, Bobby shook his head. "No, I shouldn't sneak up on you like that. I just wanted to tell you that your bedroom is ready. I've been watching this house for a few hours, and no one has come home. Both cars are still in the driveway, and several of the dressers were empty. These people aren't coming home."

I nodded. "That's great. We've got a nice little house all to ourselves. How many floors does it have?"

"It's a ranch. The basement isn't even finished yet. The sun'll set in a few hours. You should get a little more sleep. I'll have dinner ready when you wake up. Or breakfast for you, I guess," he chuckled.

Smiling, I allowed Bobby to lead me to my room. It was at the far end of the hallway, and the darkest room. He had nailed the giant blanket to the wall in front of the window for me. All of my bags were already lying in wait for me. I unpacked my pillow and blanket and stuffed puppy and crawled into bed.

"Sleep well," Bobby bade as he started to walk off.

"Wait. . . What's the outside world like?" I asked.

Bobby walked back into the room and sat at the foot of my bed. "Well, chaotic. Cops are keeping people from leaving via the Lincoln Tunnel or any other street that might leave Manhattan. People are wandering the streets aimlessly in groups or alone. Warehouses are off-limits as well as windowless buildings. I drove past some guys looting a store. Otherwise, it was pretty much business as usual."

I giggled. "Right. Sounds like it. Nobody dropping dead, though, I hope?"

He paused and glanced around. "Well, there were a few. And only like two turned that I saw. They slipped into somewhere safe for them. One guy was stupid enough to follow one in there, thinking. . . Well, I don't know what he was thinking. He never came back out, though."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "That sucks."

When I yawned, Bobby got up. "I'll let you sleep. You had a rough night last night."

"One more. . . Just one more thing," I argued, sitting up. This question had been burning inside me since Bobby and I had first met. "Why did you help me? I'm pretty certain we've never met before. I'm normally good with faces."

Bobby hesitated before he turned around to face me. "No, we haven't met before. I don't even think we go to the same school."

_I knew it!_ I thought.

"I guess, when I saw that monster attacking you I wanted to help you. Jump in the way or something. But I just froze even though I knew it was the best thing to do. After I had failed to act, I just wanted to make sure I didn't make that mistake again," he explained after a lot of pauses.

"But I– You didn't have to. Everyone else just froze, too. You didn't need to put your neck on the line for me, someone you didn't even know," I faltered, confused.

"No, but I just felt like I needed to. I kinda thought you were pretty, too," he said sheepishly. "And the way you came out of your house when everyone started screaming, even though most people would have just stood in their lawns, I admired that. I admired the way you came headfirst into something just to see if everyone was alright."

Ok, things were making a little more sense. That sounded more like guy reasoning to me. I smiled at him and rolled over. "Well, thank you. You've been a real life saver. I mean that."

I heard Bobby sigh. "It's no problem. You've saved me more than I've saved you. I'll talk to you when you wake up."

"Don't let me sleep all night," I muttered, already half asleep.

"I won't," Bobby promised before he shut the door behind him. I pulled the blanket under my chin and hugged my stuffed dog close, and was asleep in a matter of minutes.

The smell of spaghetti sauce woke me up. I propped myself up on both of my hands, my legs curling under me, and looked around, trying to decipher what room I was in before I remembered what had happened that morning.

Yawning, I got off the bed and made my way out of the room toward the kitchen. The sun wasn't quite all the way behind the horizon yet. Bobby was in the kitchen at the stove, stirring the noodles.

"Evening," he greeted me, setting down the wooden spoon. "This was the only thing I found in here to eat. Looks to me like the previous owners took most of the other food or just hadn't bought food in ages.

"Well, that sucks. Maybe I'll do a little shopping tonight while I'm busy not doing anything."

"Wow. . . ," Bobby said suddenly, tilting his head while he stared me down. "Your face is, like, really sunburned. We should find something to put on that. . . "

I shrugged. "It's fine."

He shook his head. "No, come on. We'll find something. I know you heal fast, but I have to do something to feel important."

I rolled my eyes as he led me to the linen closet. "You're cooking for me, and you helped me escape the evil John and his minions. You drove me half way across the world and befriended me when no one else did. You've done more than enough."

"Uh huh."

Smiling, I rolled my eyes again, but stayed silent. If this was what he wanted to do, fine. I didn't feel like arguing with him.

He started to look through the linen closet at the end of the hall, shoving stuff out of his way and rummaging through everything. I stood a ways behind him, my arms crossed casually, as I waited.

"What exactly are you looking for?" I asked after a few seconds.

Bobby backed out of the closet and held up a bottle with green, bubbly liquid in it. "Aloe!"

"Oh. . . That makes sense."

He smiled. "Doesn't it? Let's go sit down."

Sighing, I followed him to the couch where I sat down next to him. "I can put it on myself, you know. . . ," I pointed out as he squeezed a little aloe on his palm. I wasn't sure I was comfortable with him touching me, yet.

"I know."

I rolled my eyes. Fine. So he was going to be that way. I put on an annoyed face and crossed my arms. He just smiled at me and started to rub the aloe on my forehead and cheeks.

Suddenly, he pulled his hands away, looking surprised. "You're burning up!"

My annoyed face didn't go away. "Am I? I feel fine. Don't all sunburns feel hot to the touch?" I asked, feeling my own forehead. Maybe I blushed and hadn't realized it in my irritability?

"Well, yeah, but not like this! You feel feverish! I'm going to go get a thermometer. You finish rubbing in this aloe," he commanded. I glared at him as he walked by, feeling the most irate with him than I had since I had first met him. He was acting like my father, not my friend!

Still irritated, I finished rubbing in the aloe, then got up to stir the spaghetti while he rummaged through the house and all of its crap. I was coming back out of the kitchen when he returned.

"Found one. I sterilized it, so it should be ok."

"Great. If I had a fever though, wouldn't I be acting sick? I feel just fine. It's probably just the sunburn!" I argued. "You don't have to treat me like I'm a little kid. We're the same age! I need a friend, not a parent."

Bobby's gaze hardened and he looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry. . . I'm not used to talking or interacting with people my age. I was home schooled and I volunteered at the preschool for most of my high school life. I'm used to talking to four-year-olds. I'll try to stop."

"Thank you," I muttered. Home schooled? That had to suck.

He handed my the thermometer and I stuck it under my tongue and waited for the device to come to it's conclusion. It took a few minutes, but at last it started to beep, alerting both of us that it had finished. I took it from under my tongue and read the blank LED numbers.

"What the hell?" I gasped, violently shoving the thermometer toward Bobby.

"What?" he asked, taking it from me. He read the numbers and his eyes widened. "One hundred and ten? According to this you should be dead."

My mouth fell open. "Funny. I don't feel dead. I feel quite alive, actually."

"Maybe it's just symptoms of being an Infected. You've also been breathing very heavily since last night, and even now while you just sit here," Bobby said, still looking at the thermometer.

I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't feel sick, and I feel like I'm breathing normally. Either that means I'm just fine, or I'm completely nerve dead. I think I'm fine, though."

Bobby laughed and put the thermometer to the side. "Yeah. . . Well, the spaghetti is almost ready. You might want to let Cassie inside. I just let her out like ten minutes ago. I wanted her to be able to get in some running and playing and stuff before she was cooped up inside all night long."

"She's outside?" I cried, looking out the window. It was still light outside, so I calmed down. "Sorry. . . I'll go let her in."

"I wouldn't let anything happen to her," Bobby said defensively. I followed him out to the kitchen and passed him to get to the back door. I slid the door open and whistled, then called Cassie's name. It took a few seconds, but she came running.

"I just overreacted," I apologized once Cassie was inside. "Where did you put her food?"

Bobby pointed with the spoon. "In that closet. Her water dish is already filled with water, and her food dish is next to her food."

"Thank you."

By the time I had Cassie all fed, the food was ready. Bobby and I set the table, then we served ourselves and ate in silence. Bobby had made just enough for the both of us to have seconds, but only I did.

"I didn't know you could cook," I commented at one point.

"Yeah, I don't look like that type, do I? After working at Burger King, I took up an interest in good food."

I giggled. "Well, the dinner is very nice. Thank you."

He nodded. "Not a problem."

When I was finished, I rinsed my plate and put it in the like-new dishwasher. It was then that I realized that all of my clothes, even my jacket, were full of holes and had blood everywhere.

"Crap. I'm going to get in the shower. I'm all bloody, still. . . Dammit. . . Now I have to throw these away. . . Guess I'm going more than grocery shopping tonight," I muttered, walking toward the bathroom closest to my room.

"Don't take too long! We don't want those Infected hearing the running water."

"Right!" I said over my shoulder. I was already in the bathroom, checking out the shower. It was just a shower, no tub. There was shampoo and conditioner on the soap stand, so that was good. I hadn't brought any. It was old people hair products, but it would do until I could get more.

I walked into my room and picked out the outfit I wanted to wear that night and brought it in the bathroom with me, then went and sought out a towel. I found one in the closet the aloe had been in.

When everything was in order, I stripped of my bloody and ripped clothes and got in the warm water.

True to my word, I only took as much time as I possibly could need to wash my hair and scrub my body clean of the blood for the second time that week. The water stung my burned face and ruined the bandages on my hands, but I didn't care. I was getting clean.

Regretfully, I got out of the warm shower and towel-dried off. Once dressed in my outfit, I left the steamy bathroom and went into the kitchen to find some plastic bags to put my bloody clothes and ruined bandages in. I couldn't find any, so I sufficed to find a garbage bag instead.

"You heading out?" Bobby asked long before he had reached the kitchen so as not to frighten me for the third time.

"Soon. I'm going to dump these somewhere else so the blood doesn't attract those stupid creatures," I explained, tying off the bag. "You'd do well to turn off all the lights and close all of the blinds."

He nodded. "I'll do that."

I turned to Bobby. He was in a pair of pajamas that looked two sizes too big. "Where'd you find that? I didn't see you bring any of your own clothes."

"They're courtesy of the previous owner. I'll just get some new clothes tomorrow. They'll due for now. I'll wash the clothes I was wearing tonight while you're out."

"What if they hear the washer?"

Bobby paused. "I didn't think about that. . . I'll just wash them in the morning, then. You better get going. What should I do about Cassie?"

I threw the bag over my shoulder and walked to the front door. "She likes to sleep in the bed. Just tell her to stay quiet, and she will. Make her feel safe. That's all. I'm taking the car. Where are the keys?"

He disappeared back into the kitchen and came back with the keys to the Commander. "Be careful," Bobby bade.

I nodded. "I will. Stay safe, and lock all the doors. I'll be back by morning. Just unlock the doors when you wake up."

"Oh, wait!" he said suddenly, running toward the room he had taken.

While I waited for him to do whatever it was he doing, I glanced at the clock. It read seven-twenty-two. He came running back a few minutes later with a giant red hooded sweatshirt in his arms.

"You might get cold, even with a deadly fever. And it'll help for when the sun comes out. I'll try to get up early enough to unlock the doors for you so you aren't stuck out there for very long."

I took the sweatshirt gratefully and set the bag down so I could pull it over my head, then picked the bag up again. "Thanks. Just do your best," I bade before walking out of the door.

I found my way to the car and threw the bag in the passenger's seat and started up the car, turning on the lights. I couldn't hear any screeches close by, just distant noises. At least they weren't anywhere near Bobby and my dog. I felt uneasy leaving them alone, but things had to be done.

So, I put the Commander into drive and slowly pulled away from the now-dark house that was going to be my home for the next God knew how long.

I had errands to run.

* * *

**Man, it's been a while, hasn't it? That's my bad. Well, here's three chapters for you guys! Have fun. **


	11. Chapter 11

**BOOK ONE: INFECTED**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**

* * *

**I drove around in a hyper-aware state, always looking around and starting at any sounds. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going, since I had never been in that part of Manhattan before, so I was driving around semi-aimlessly. At one point I stopped just to dump my soiled clothes in an empty lot. Let the Infected do with that what they wanted.

It was a good thing Wal-Mart's were so easy to spot.

Relieved, I pulled up to the entrance of Wal-Mart and parked the car practically in the store. I locked the car up and headed inside. The doors weren't even locked up, and the lights were still on. Whoever had been in here last had left in a hurry.

Still hyper-aware, I walked into the department store and grabbed a shopping cart. I wasn't going to be able to carry everything I was going to get.

"Who're you?" a voice to my left called. I whipped around and bared my teeth in a silent snarl out of surprise to see a family huddled in a dark room that was a mini-pharmacy. It consisted of a mother, a father, and two boys. One looked eleven and the other looked thirteen.

Sighing, I forced myself to relax. "No one. I'm just doing some shopping. Why aren't the lights out? They really should be."

"We couldn't find the light switches. What are you doing out there alone and at night?" the father asked me.

"Shopping," I repeated, slowly moving toward the food half of Wal-Mart.

"Aren't you afraid they'll get you?" the little boy asked.

I smiled at him and stopped moving. "No. I'm more worried about you four than I am about myself. Why aren't you in a house?"

The mother addressed me this time. "We came here to get supplies, but we stayed here longer than we thought we would and got stuck here. You didn't notice our car out front there?"

I shook my head. "No, I guess I didn't. Well, while I'm getting my own supplies, I'll look for the light switches. They really should be off. . . They'll alert them."

Without further conversation, I rolled the cart toward the food. I went up and down the aisles, grabbing anything that looked good. Most of it was snack items, so I went to the freezer isle and grabbed some dinner stuff. I went to the refrigerator isle and grabbed some meets and cheese and other dairy products.

Before I left the meats, I stopped and stared at a T-bone steak. For some reason, I just stared at it. My mouth began to water. I really wanted meat! I glanced around, then grabbed the container it was in and started to rip at the plastic.

Once the meat was free, I held the dripping food in my hands. It smelled delicious! It never once occurred to me once that it was raw. With another glance, I tore into the meat.

It _was_ delicious! Raw, but amazing! It was hard to chew, but I stood there, ripping at the bloody meat like I was in some sort of trance.

It was only when I was finished with it did I realize what I was doing. I stared in horror at my sticky, brown hands. All that was left was the T-bone. I dropped it and shuddered. Had I really just done that?

There was more to this being half-Infected than heightened senses and fast healing and being the most feared person in the city. I had hungers just like them.

Shaking my head, I pushed the nearly-full cart to the clothing section. I found a hideous shirt to clean my hands on, then threw it in the cart, too. I couldn't leave it there. I could smell the blood, so I assumed the Infected would, too. I couldn't leave it there with the family sleeping there for the night.

Still shaken by my craving, I looked all throughout the women's clothing and picked out the clothes that had my sizes and that I liked. There were no jackets, so I knew I would have to go somewhere else.

I headed toward the front of Wal-Mart and looked for any doors that said "Employees only" on it. That would most likely be where the light switches were. I did find it. The door was in between the two entrances. I turned the handle, but it was locked. Sighing, I took a few steps back. This was going to hurt, but I had to do it.

Taking a deep breath, I ran forward and kicked out with my right foot near the door handle. The door shook, but it did not open. I let out an annoyed breath and shook my head. I hadn't wanted to use my shoulder, but there wasn't any other choice, now.

Again, I took a few steps back. Taking another deep breath, I ran at the door and dropped my shoulder. This time, the door popped open with a loud _crash._ I winced, sure that people in China would have been able to hear that.

Quickly, I searched through the employees' office. I found the light switches and was relieved to see that they didn't need a key. I flipped them all to the off position, then headed back to my cart and wheeled it to the exit I had come in from.

"Thank you," I heard a voice whisper.

I turned to the sound and saw the family huddled together. They were looking at me gratefully, but they also looked confused. I nodded to them and smiled. "Just stay quiet and try not to move around a whole lot. If they see me leave, they won't think anyone else is in here."

The mother and father nodded. "Are you sure you'll be alright out there alone?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah. I'll be just fine."

With that, I left Wal-Mart and headed for my car. I unlocked the trunk and threw everything inside. I was going to be worried about the freezer items, but they would be ok for a little bit. I hadn't gotten anything that needed to be frozen all the time, like ice-cream. Also, it was December. I would just leave the heater off and everything would stay nice and cold until I could get it into the freezer at home.

Still, I heard no screeches near by. That was a good sign. They were all on the other side of the city. I started the car and drove off in a random direction. I wanted to get a new jacket and some more clothes.

I drove to the shopping district of Manhattan and found myself at the Manhattan Mall. I parked my car right next to the building only after I had turned off my headlights. I didn't want to have to walk very far to my car. A lot could happen in twenty or so yards.

The glass door was shattered and had a gaping hole in the center. Someone had already been here earlier today. I only hoped they hadn't taken all the good stuff.

Carefully, I stepped over the jagged shards of the glass and ducked into the dark mall. At least these lights were off. Less attention would be brought to it. I would have a little trouble finding my way around, but I would deal with it. I _had_ been to this mall nearly millions of times.

Always on the alert, I headed toward my favorite place to find clothes, Aeropostale. It was on the first floor, so I wouldn't have very far to travel.

As I walked, I realized that most of the gates were down and blocking a lot of the entrances to the stores. Would I even be able to get into the store to do my own stealing? How had the people before me fared?

When I reached my destination, I cursed under my breath: the gates were in fact closed. I searched my surroundings for any way to get into that store. I really wanted a new jacket because the one I was wearing was about five sizes to big. I could have gone to a new store, but that meant more traveling! This one was right here!

All I saw around me was several benches and a few shiny new cars that were part of some contest. One was a giant, black Hummer H2.

_That's it!_ I thought jubilantly. I jogged over to the beast of a vehicle and tested the doors. The driver's side was unlocked. Why should it be? Nobody cared about theft when the world was in chaos.

However, I couldn't start the car without the key. Not that there was any need for a key. The damn car turned on with a code patch. Not that I had a screwdriver on me, anyway. I attempted to just throw the car into drive, but that didn't work. Not that I had actually expected it to.

"God dammit!" I muttered aloud, slapping the steering wheel with both of my palms in frustration.

Irate, I climbed out of the huge SUV and stared at the gate several feet in front of me that was standing in between me and my quarry. There had to be a way for me to get in that store.

I walked up to the gate and crouched low, keeping my back straight, and grabbed the bottom of the gate with both of my hands and started to pull up at the gate, trying to lift it up.

Gritting my teeth, I used all of the strength I could muster from my pitifully small muscles and pulled fiercely at the gate, lifting with my legs as well as my arms, and as little with my back as I possibly could. That was how you were supposed to life heavy objects, right? With your legs and not your back?

The gate finally budged. I was making a little progress, at least. My muscles were burning, and the thought that this was totally pointless crossed my mind, but I was set in what I wanted, and I wouldn't be thwarted by a gate.

After a few moments, the gate had only moved an inch and I was spent. I released the gate and it fell back down to the ground.

"This is not working," I muttered, panting.

While I rested my limbs, I sat down and thought. If I could get some sort of leverage, it might be possible for me to open the gate. I also figured that I could have just gone to a non-mall store for clothes, but that would entitle giving up.

Then I had an epiphany. The Infected seemed to have inhuman strength and power. If I could find a way to summon said power, I could pull it off.

"Well, you said you'd need to practice and find you how to do it. Now's the best time to do it," I thought out loud. Shaking my head, I thought, _I really need to stop talking to myself. People will think I'm crazy._

I walked to the gate and stared it down again, thinking of a way to drum up that power. I closed my eyes and tried the meditation way. I thought back to all of those fights with the Infected. How had I felt? What had been going through my head at that time? How could I replicate that feeling?

Anger. I could do anger. That had been my main strategy during volleyball. Make me angry and I was sure to be top-notch.

Scowling, I approached the gate and started my lifting attempt over again. My muscles burned right away from my previous attempt.

_C'mon, Lex! _I thought bitterly._ You want this win? You gotta work for it! Don't be a quitter! Only weak little girl's are quitters! Are you a weak little girl?_ _You're quitting! Stop being a quitter! No pain, no gain!_

I had done this all time before my volleyball games in school. I would insult myself into a fit of rage and get myself all riled up. Some of my teammates had tried this strategy, too, but it never had the same effect with them as it did with me. I lived to prove everyone wrong. Even if it meant proving myself wrong.

The gate hadn't moved at all.

_Quitter! You couldn't even save your own family! What makes you think you can lift this heavy gate?_ I berated myself.

"No!" I cried out. The same irrational feeling washed over me as my anger began to grow. With a frustrated snarl and a burst of strength, I lifted the gate up and over my head. The momentum of my throw made the gate continue up and into the ceiling where it caught so it couldn't fall back down.

I was breathing heavier than normal and I still felt enraged, but I walked into the apparel store anyway. When I passed a clothes rack, I noticed this horrid plaid shirt. I hadn't calmed down at all, so my disgust caused me to shove the rack over with a growl.

It was hardly necessary, but it made me feel a little better.

I walked around aimlessly while I tried to calm down even a little bit. I had to find a way to calm myself without being violent. I stopped between two accessory tables and closed my eyes. I took several deep breaths. It didn't quite work the way I had planned: I couldn't stand still long enough.

A mannequin caught my attention. Its paleness and all around resemblance to the Infected angered me greatly. I pounced on the dummy and commenced with dismembering it with little effort, all the while growling savagely.

When it was but a memory, I was feeling much better. I'm sure if the mannequin had been alive, she wouldn't have felt good. I stood and took a few deep breaths. My anger was gone, and I figured that once I was angry, I would have to be violent to calm down.

_Gotta find another way to access that strength. . . _, I thought, walking toward the shelves with the jeans.

I picked out several jeans in my size ranging from slim to baggy and threw them on an empty check-out desk. It was going to be my pile of clothes so I wouldn't have to carry them around the store.

Next, I found out where all of the hoodies, blazers, and jackets were located. I didn't like hoodies, and blazers were a little too dressy for the times, so I looked through all of the zip-up jackets until I had picked out three that I liked and tossed them on top of the pile, too.

Shirts were next on my list, and the hardest for me to pick out. Even though I wasn't paying for them, I was extremely picky. After several minutes of sifting, I only had one shirt picked out, so I moved on to a different rack and began my search again, looking for the ones I wanted. I made out a little better with that rack; I picked four shirts, two of which were long sleeved.

For about a half an hour I picked out shirts until I had enough in my mind. I threw those on the growing pile also, then did a quick run through to see if there was anything else I could steal and decided to ransack the pajamas and get some lingerie.

I wasn't really picky about pajamas or lingerie. I grabbed several night shirts I thought would fit me and pajama bottoms that were my size. I threw those on the pile.

Something hit my hands as I threw the new additions to my clothes on the formidable mound of fabric. I looked through the top most layers of the clothes and found that most of them were donning little ink tags. Booby traps for shop lifters. I sighed with frustration and moved on to the lingerie, grabbing hand full's of socks, underwear, and a few bras, then dropped them in the heap and moved around the counter.

For nearly ten minutes I searched for the little device cashiers used to remove the ink tags, and after I had finally found it, it took me another five minutes or so just to figure out how to use the damn thing!

Once I became a semi-expert at using the device, I spent the next half an hour, give or take, trying to find the tag, then remove it. Every once in a while a sound outside would catch my attention, but otherwise I was very bored. I also had to stop every few minutes to rest my tired hands.

Finally, I was finished! I vowed to never get that many clothes in one sitting ever again and set the device back where I found it.

With all of my clothes picked out and de-tagged, I searched under the desk for the shopping bags. There were tons of different sizes of bags, but I settled on two huge bags and stuffed the clothes in them, removing any hangers I came by. I had to grab another bag, a medium sized one, when the clothes weren't going to fit in the huge bags anymore.

Thoroughly sated with shopping for the next few months, I left the store.

After toting the three bulging bags awkwardly toward the car, I decided I wasn't going to do any more "shopping" that night. I threw my bags into the back seat, then checked on all of the groceries to make sure they weren't spoiling. Everything was in order, so I got behind the wheel.

When I turned on the car, the digital clock read eleven o'clock. I hadn't been out for very long at all, and now I had nothing more to do! That was definitely poor planning on my part.

Would Bobby still be up at this hour? Would I be able to get in the house to do some organizing and unpacking? I was pretty far from the house. Even if he was still up then, he might not have been when I returned.

I looked at the gas to see how well I was doing. It was almost empty! What the hell? We had picked a blooming gas guzzler!

Yes, I said blooming.

So there was my task. Find a new car with a crap-load of trunk space and preferably one that had a full tank of gas already. It needed to get great mileage, too. I pulled away from the mall and headed out.

To the car dealership!

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**Well, that was a rather boring chapter. I'm so sorry! D= I know. . . that the next one won't be. . . and I has a warning! One my friends became extremely emotional. So, proceed at your own risk.**


	12. Chapter 12

**BOOK ONE: INFECTED**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

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**It's now May eighth. Why did I fail to write more chapters in the last few days? Well, that's what I'm going to tell you.

I was out on my regular rounds a few nights ago, business as usual. I wasn't wearing my jacket because it's hot for me, even at night, with my high temperature, and I didn't plan on waiting until sunrise to come home. I never did. I always came home a little early.

Tonight was the nights Dr. Neville had asked my to do him a little favor: population control. Just kill a few Infected. He had tried to get me to kill a majority of their population a few months before, but I had convinced him it was nearly impossible for even me to do that. He would need a good number of them once he moved his experiments onto human subjects, anyway.

I had offered once to be one of those subjects for him, but he had argued that it could kill me and that he needed my the way I currently was. I was all for living, so I hadn't offered again.

Where was I?

Dr. Neville wanted me to remind the Infected why it was they were afraid of me since they had so boldly confronted me twice and even injured me once. He didn't want them getting the idea that I wasn't dangerous to them.

He wasn't going to hear any objections from me. That was partly why I had left my jacket behind, too: if I was going to be doing some fighting, I didn't want my favorite jacket to be ruined. I was wearing my least favorite outfit because of that, too. High maintenance, much, right? I was still female. I still cared.

So, I would need all night to locate all of the different groups the Infected split into and kill one or two from each. I skipped writing chapter twelve last night and headed toward the screeches that were nearest to me.

It took me a few hours to find just one group, then at least an hour to pick and choose which ones I was going to kill.

Finally, I moved onto the group the Alpha Male and Female hung out with. I had learned a long time ago that it was better not to mess with that couple unless I planned on killing both, so I had to be very choosey when picking my victims. That took another two hours to pick which ones would be the safest.

I struck.

My first victim didn't know what hit him. I tackled him to the ground and took a few minutes wrestling with him. Those few minutes seemed to go by in hours. He put up quite the fight. When he was finally dead, the others were gone.

"Crap. . . ," I muttered, getting to my feet and brushing off my slightly torn clothes. I listened carefully, then headed toward the group again.

When I finally found them, light was started to glow on the horizon. I muttered profanity under my breath and ran full-tilt at the group that was slowly making it's way back toward the place they called home; a bank.

The alarm went up as I was found. The Alpha Male. A tall, buff male with a tattered jacket that flowed out behind him, and the Alpha Female, a girl with a faded pink, torn top, spun around to look at me. The Alpha Male positioned himself in front of her and snarled.

I wasn't aiming for them. I barreled into the male that was standing off to the side, trying to run away. He squealed and hissed, and I commenced with pummeling him. The others growled and hissed, and then they left. I finished him off and stood.

"Let this be a lesson to you! I am not to be trifled with!" I snarled savagely in their native tongue. Upon watching them for nights on end, I had picked up their snarling and hissing language.

It wasn't so much a language as it was a reading of tone, inflection, and body language. I didn't really say that, it was just implied through my voice. I called this not-language Infectenese. Just as a little joke between Dr. Neville and I. He had had me record them one night so I could try to teach him, but he couldn't pick it up.

I watched the fleeing Infected go, then looked toward the horizon. The sun was getting high in the sky. I cursed under my breath and followed the Infected. Without my jacket, I wasn't protected against the UV rays that would burn me alive, and I had walked around the city. A car would have alerted them to my presence and I wouldn't have been able to pick and choose who I wanted to kill. I needed to find someplace to bunker down.

Dr. Neville was going to be worried, but it was something I had to do to make myself safe. I just hoped he wouldn't panic. I hoped he wouldn't come look for me.

The Infected screeched over their shoulders at me, but I just hissed. I wanted someplace to stay. I didn't want to kill any more of them. They'd lead me to a nice place to stay for the day, which happened to be the bank they had made into their hive. My being there chased them onto the third floor, and I just bunkered down on a pile of cardboard and curled up to wait until the night.

I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. I was out of my comfort zone, and Infected kept coming down to see if I was still here. Their scent and sounds would wake me and I would have to chase them back up stairs so they'd leave me alone.

Stupid creatures.

Finally, I fell asleep sometime around two o'clock. The Infected left me alone after the fifth one I sent back upstairs, and I got semi-good sleep.

Then the dogs came out.

Snarling and growling, they came running toward me and woke me up. I lifted my head off of my make-shift pillow and peered around the darkness. There were five of the hairless mutts, and they were all headed toward me. Either to find out if I was edible, or because I was close to the door.

Just in case, I hissed a warning and they skidded to a stop on the smooth floor, whimpered, and ran off toward another door. One of them had too much momentum to stop until it was right next on top of me.

That was unlucky for it.

My instincts kicked in as the Infected dog snarled bravely at me and snapped. That was a bad mood on its part. I pounced on top of it and it yelped loudly. I snarled and pulled at it's leg to get it closer to me as it tried to scramble away. One less Infected dog in the world was all the more better for Dr. Neville. And Sam.

I pulled myself on top of the dog and bit into the back of its neck. I whined loudly and continued to try to get away but I was too heavy. It wasn't going anywhere. After laying on top of it with my hands dug into his shoulder blades and my teeth in its neck, I raised it off the ground and threw it into a cement wall. It hit the wall hard and then hit the ground with a thud.

It didn't get back up. The Infected dogs weren't as durable as the Infected humans.

Snarling quietly, I went back to laying on the cardboard to sleep in some more. There was still light out. The dogs had tougher skin, even if their bones weren't very durable. They were capable of coming out at dusk, even if the sun was still in the sky. If there was any sunlight out at all, the Infected humans couldn't come out.

I fell asleep again, only to be woken up when the Infected started to get active. They came down the stairs, screeching and snarling, and skirted around me, quieting when they noticed I was still there. I lifted my head to watch them leave, then sat up.

It was too late to come home. I had to stay out that night, too, so I rummaged through some houses I was supposed to hit this night, and ate some of the food for my breakfast. I was starving, and we would have eaten this food at one point in time, anyway.

When it was finally time to come home, I left with all of my stuff early and headed for Dr. Neville's house. The door was open and waiting for me. That was odd. Normally I had to wait until six in the morning if I came home early. He always had the door locked at night with a fricken safe lock or something.

But it was open. And Dr. Neville was waiting eagerly on the couch for my return. When I walked into the house, he was up off the couch and in front of me within seconds.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"I got stuck outside yesterday morning! I had taken too long and couldn't get home. When I woke up last night it was too late for me to come home. You know how I am with sleeping!" I said defensively.

"I thought you had been killed or something! I was worried sick!" Dr. Neville explained. Sam whined at his heals.

I looked away from him. "I didn't mean to worry you. . ."

Dr. Neville sighed. "I'm sorry. I overreacted. You're just the only person I've seen in a year. I worry about you every time you go out there."

"I know you do. You shouldn't though. I can take care of myself."

We stood in silence for a minute. "How many did you kill?"

"Ten. And one dog."

He nodded. "Good. I'll get your dinner and my breakfast made."

He had made me dinner, then I went to sleep as he went about his daily duties. Then I woke up, and here I am. Writing away.

Sorry about the long entry here. I had a lot to say for once. I'm going to skip ahead in my story in a little bit. Life gets really repetitive, and I don't want to bore you with the details. Getting tired of this ending yet? Too bad!

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I reached a car dealership and went to picking out a car. I chose a red Ford Escape Hybrid. I had to break into the building and search through all the car keys they had in order to find the one I needed, but I found them after a couple hundred tries. I had just grabbed all of the keys in the back and took the time to press the unlock button on them all.

Once that was all figured, I turned the car on to look at the gas. It was full. That was only courtesy. Dealers were supposed to fill their tanks for the people who were going to buy the car. I moved all of my baggage and groceries to the back of the escape and left the Commander there as I drove off.

I drove to the house to see if I could get inside, and by the time I got there, it was around one o'clock in the morning. The doors were all locked. I sighed. That was what I had expected. So, I decided to take a walk.

For hours I just walked around the city, going as far as I could without being too far from the house. I heard all sorts of noises. Screeches, screams, dogs barking and snarling and more screams. . . They were all in the distance. I couldn't make it to the screaming. I felt bad about it, but it was truth. I couldn't save everyone.

When the sun started to rise, I hurried back the way I came, putting my hood up just in case. When I reached the house, the sun was completely over the horizon. I grabbed some groceries from the car and quickly ran up to the door. It was unlocked. Bobby had stayed true to his word.

I managed to get the door open and found Bobby on the couch, watching the news. He looked over his shoulder to me and smiled. "Welcome home."

Nodding, I made my way to the kitchen. "There are more groceries outside if you wanna help me with them," I called as I sat the groceries on the counter. When I started to make another trip, Bobby was already outside.

It took a few trips, but eventually all the groceries were inside and I had my shopping bags locked away in my room.

"I'll put the groceries away if you wanna eat some dinner. I made what was left of the eggs, and they had some bread, so I made toast," Bobby said, indicating to the table as he sat the last bag down.

"That sounds amazing!" I agreed, sitting down at the table. I served myself a few scoops of scrambled eggs and a piece of toast. I made it with jelly, then dug in. It looked as if Bobby had already eaten.

"Where's Cassie?" I asked around a bite of toast.

"Outside. It's really sunny in the backyard in the morning. She'll be ok."

Once my breakfast was finished, I went to the back door and let in Cassie so I could give her attention before going off to organize and sleep. I was tired from my excursion the night before.

She was happy to see me. Her little hind quarters were wiggling non stop and she showered me in kisses, pushing me to the ground. I was happy to see uninfected dogs still liked me. At least something didn't fear me.

After feeding my dog her breakfast, I retired to my room after bidding Bobby a good day, and sat in the dark. I didn't feel like turning on the light, and I could see just fine in my dark little room. I went through the dresser that was in my room and found it was pretty much empty. What was in there wasn't clothes I would wear. I dumped out one of my bags and filled it with the left over clothes, then went to organizing.

It took me an hour or so, but I eventually got all of my new clothes folded, tagless, and in the right drawers. When that was finished, I crawled into my bed and went to sleep.

Everyday was like that. Bobby would go out during the day and when I would wake up, he had my breakfast ready, which was his dinner. When I would return in the morning, he had my dinner ready and his breakfast ready. It was up to ourselves to fix our own lunches.

Everyday he saw less and less people wondering around. He told me there were still tanks and hordes of cars blocking off many of the streets, but there were less and less Army men and cops to block the streets. A lot of people had fled the city. I always had a few days when I wondered how John and his group of people had fared. Were there any of them left?

We had stayed. We knew it was safer not to travel at all.

Days after the news had stopped running (the last broadcast had been about zoo animals escaping the Central Park Zoo, and to beware of these animals, which Bobby had mentioned a few times, seeing a monkey here or elephant there. . .), we had lost power. Completely. We couldn't turn on lights. We couldn't turn on the stove or the washing machine or even the shower. We were making fire from sticks we could gather for cooking and boiling our water for baths.

We weren't going to be able to do that for very long, too. We had to find generators or something. Anything.

Otherwise, life was ok. The Infected couldn't ever find us. We made sure of that. Bobby had trained Cassie pretty well, and she was his little alarm in case there were Infected living in the place he wanted to go.

Both of us were kept sane by being able to talk to each other. He would sometimes stay up with me to watch a movie in a car. We had lifted a portable DVD player and would watch a movie in one of the cars left in the garage. We had even at some point in time decided we were more than friends.

Then, at the one year and two months mark, everything fell apart.

I was 19 then.

It had been months since we had seen another person. I was out one night, scavenging for more fire wood, and if I could find some, a generator. We had found a few and had figured out how to hook them up to the stove so we didn't have to cook our food over an open fire, but we still didn't have heat. We needed the wood for the fireplace, since it was February.

I had just finished ransacking a house and was going back outside. I could hear screeches and roars in the distance. No. . . Not the distance, I realized. They were close. And there was something else I could hear. . .

Screams. A woman was screaming.

_There are still survivors?_ I thought desperately, heading toward the car. My new mission was to save that woman. There were survivors! _A_ survivor, at least! I had to get to her.

I began to wonder why she had been out at night. Maybe the Infected had just found where she was living and she was trying to flee? Whatever the reason, I had to get to her.

I parked somewhere away from where the screeches and screams were and hoofed it from there. I was just glad the screams hadn't ceased. I ran as fast as I could to find the woman and found myself behind the Infected.

When they noticed me, the Infected in the back sent up an alarm call. Some scattered. Others kept on toward their meal.

"Hold on!" I yelled at the top of my lungs to the woman. She looked back over her shoulder at the sound of another human and lost her footing on a cracked and raised piece of asphalt. She fell to the ground and Infected were on her instantly.

Panic shot through me and anger at my self welled up. "No!" I screamed, the scream turning into a roar of frustration. The woman's pained cries stopped and I dove on the nearest Infected, killing her as soon as I could.

When I reached the front of the line, I saw only two Infected gorging themselves on the poor woman. A male and a female. They were obviously getting first dibs. Alphas. A male and a female. A couple. Anger and regret welled inside me. If I had stayed quiet, the woman wouldn't have tripped. We would have one more person in our little survivor group.

I launched myself on the Alpha Female, wanting nothing more than revenge. And the female was closer.

As I hit her, my momentum propelled us across the street. I heard the Alpha Male screech his fury, but no one tried to interfere. I was a force to be reckoned with, and this female was going to die.

We rolled around the ground, swapping blows, but as always, I came out on top. When I stood, the Alpha Female was dead on the ground. I faced the group of Infected, panting, and gave them a glare that dared them to come at me.

The Alpha Male gave a loud, long, lament at the sight of his dead counterpart. It was a sound to tear at a soul if you understood what it meant, and I found myself getting the goose bumps as a chill shot down my spine.

Suddenly I felt horrified at myself. _What have I done?_ I found myself thinking.

Once finished, the Alpha male turned his attention on me. He glared at me with a fury I had yet to see in these creatures. I saw a plan formulating behind his dull, soulless eyes, but I chose to ignore it and left toward my car, running.

I drove around the city for the last hour or so and parked my car in the driveway an hour before sunrise, then waited for the sun to appear before I used the house key we had made at Wal-Mart. Bobby was interested in my story, and thought I had done all I could have.

I still couldn't get that Alpha Male's lament out of my head.

A few nights later, I was out, business as usual. It was an hour after I had left that I figured out something wasn't right with my normal night. The screeches were coming from the wrong direction. They weren't where they normally hunted and stayed during the day.

Their screeches were different, too.

These things were on a mission.

Suddenly, something clicked in the back of my head. These screeches weren't just the normal conversations they were having. They were being given orders. They were being given directions.

_Bobby! Cassie!_ I thought suddenly as I realized what was going on. I turned the car on and hurried toward the house. I floored the Escape and went as fast as it would go, but it seemed to be taking forever.

_I'm not going to make it!_

I stopped the car halfway in the front yard and threw myself out of the car to find everything quiet and the screeches receding into the night. The door was off it's hinges and a few windows were broken.

Nothing was moving inside.

"No, no!" I whispered, my voice shattering in my throat. I hurried inside and called both Bobby's and Cassie's names. They never replied.

I went through the entire house searching each room from the back of the house to the front until I realized no one was there. My heart was in my throat by now and a sense of dread washed over me. I went to look in the garage, as I had forgotten about it, but noticed the back door was shattered and the screen was missing. I leapt through the hole and looked around.

Two bodies. One human. One canine.

I fell to my knees, tears welling in my eyes. I didn't have to get close to see what had happened. I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know why this had happened. I had messed with the Alpha Male's girl and hadn't dealt with him. That had been my mistake. I had assumed they were creatures incapable of feeling emotions.

I had assumed wrong.

Because I had taken away that which had been dear to him, the Alpha male had gone against his instincts and had watched my every move, somehow figuring out what my nightly schedule was without me finding out his little swarm was watching me. Then, when I was away, he had struck where it would hurt the most. He didn't even take the chance to use them as a meal. He had just gotten his revenge.

Suddenly, Cassie stirred and whimpered. I stood, swallowed the lump in my throat, and hope swelled in my chest. Hesitating slightly, I called out to my perfect little dog.

Then, she growled.

"Cassie?" I muttered pathetically, the lump rising back into my throat. By now the horrible taste of bile had found its way into my mouth. I swallowed, but I found my throat wasn't working.

She staggered to her feet and growled at me, then shook herself. Hair went scattering everywhere and I could see that patches of it were lying in the dead and dew-covered grass.

My heart plummeted into my stomach and tears spilled over my cheeks. They had bitten her, but they hadn't killed her. This was the insult to the injury. This was their final blow to me. They had turned my precious dog into one of them. I could barely see past my tears.

Growling, Cassie continued to watch me as she inched closer to Bobby's body. She sniffed at his body, bearing her teeth at me. I knew what she was going to do. She was going to eat, and I couldn't allow her to do that. I swallowed hard one last time and found my voice.

"I'm so sorry, Cassie. I wasn't there to protect you two. Now look. . . You're one of them. . . I'm sorry I couldn't be there. . . I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you. . . I'm so sorry about all of this. . . You are such a good dog, Cassie. Good girl. I'm so proud of you. I'm sorry, but I can't let you live!"

Relying completely on the instinctual side of my Infected half, I let my sane side slip away with one thought in my head, kill the dog. That was what I had to do. I wouldn't let my best friend be turned into a thoughtless killer.

I struck, and my heart almost ripped in half as I sunk my teeth and nails into my pet. My best friend. My loyal dog which I had had for three good years. It was all torn away from me in one night.

Everything fell away at that moment. Everything that I had been wishing for. Everything I had hoped for.

The reason I had been fighting for a year left me. The reason I had held on to my life for all those hard months was no longer there. The reason I had continued to live. The reason I had continued to hope for humanities come-back.

I became an empty shell.

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**Ohhh da sadness! D= I definitely want to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter! Feedback is mucho appreciated! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Thirteen.**

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That had been the hardest night in my life to go through since the church incident. No, actually, it was in fact worse than the church incident. For hours I had just sat outside on the cold, long, wet grass, staring numbly at the bodies of the two most important things in my life. The boy I had almost loved, and the dog I had cared for since she was a puppy.

Both had been taken from me in one night, and for one reason.

Revenge.

I had taken something precious of the Infected, and in turn they had taken the only two things that had ever meant something in my life after the holocaust.

Revenge.

The one feeling I wasn't feeling at that time. I wasn't feeling anything. Just my own guilt. It had consumed me and I was unable to feel anything else. I didn't feel hungry. I didn't feel angry. I didn't feel sorrow. I didn't feel vengeful.

I _was_ guilty.

Why hadn't I noticed that the Infected had been following me? Why hadn't I taken out the Alpha Male, too? Why hadn't I been more observant and less stupid? It was _my_ fault they were dead. No one else's.

After a few hours, I tilted my head to get a look at Cassie. I hadn't cried. Not once. I was too numb to cry. I just stared at her limp body, then lifted my hand and started to caress her side, petting her like she was still alive. I didn't know what else to do. What else _was_ there to do?

I took my hand away from Cassie's pelt and looked at it. Fur was covering my hand. I unfeelingly wiped the fur on the grass and stopped petting her. Infected lost their hair. That was why Cassie was, too.

I had to kill my dog. . . My loyal friend. . . My pet. . . She was turning into one. I wasn't going to let her live her life as a blood-thirsty monster. That was what she would have wanted. I had given it to her. Now she was at peace. . . With Bobby.

Bobby. . . I turned my head to him and put my hand on his lifeless shoulder. We hadn't gotten the right chance. Another time, another place, we would have been great life partners. But now. . . Now it was too late. He was gone. I had killed him. No, not literally, but I might as well have.

The sun started to rise, finally. I looked over the fence and tried to get a glimpse of it, but I couldn't see it. The sky was the gray of twilight, but there was no sun over the horizon yet.

For about three minutes I sat and thought that maybe it would be better if I could just stay outside as the sun rose. I lied down on the grass and began the waiting game.

Heat seared down on me. What skin was vulnerable started to tighten and burn. I closed my eyes against the pain and tried to bear it. Everything was gone. This was all that was left of me. An empty heart. I was just going to lie there and take it. In a world filled with nothing, there was no place for me.

But I couldn't do it. I got to my feet and staggered to the house and walked through the hole in the door, then made my way to my room. I hadn't slept in that room for nearly three months. Bobby and I had moved into one room together. But now I couldn't bear to be in the room he used to live in. I half-heartedly closed my door and flopped down on my bed face-first.

That was when everything came crashing down on top of me.

The Infected had taken everything from me. First it was my family. They had killed my family and left me alone. Then it was civilization in general, leaving me and one other alone. Last, it was the only two things that held meaning for me, leaving me even more alone than when my family had been taken from me. They had forced me to kill my own dog, and had all done it in the name of revenge.

I stood off my bed and left the room. I walked across the hall to Bobby's– our– room and stared at the bed. Then, finally, an emotion other than guilt washed over me. A crippling depression hit me in the stomach and I stumbled over to the bed and fell my knees, gripping the covers in both my hands as I sobbed.

Everything I had been bottling up came out in a rush and I cried for everyone. I cried for my family. The others in the church. The people in those two helicopters. The ones who didn't get out of the city for the quarantine. The people I had said I would protect. The people in John's caravan. Bobby. Cassie.

Everyone. The world. I cried uncontrollably and ended up falling to the floor and curling up in a ball.

That's where I was all day. I didn't sleep. I didn't move. I did nothing but lay there in a little ball and cry on and off. When I ran out of tears, I would stop crying long enough for them to replenish.

As the sun began to set, I got up off the floor and wiped fresh and dry tears off my cheeks, then walked to the garage to find a shovel. I wasn't going to let those monsters come back and eat my loved ones. I dug a giant hole in the backyard, then gently pushed them in it.

Before I covered their bodies with the dirt, I leaned on the shovel, then jumped in and pulled Cassie's collar off of her, then climbed back out.

"I'm sorry. . . I couldn't protect you like I said I would. Now look where I've brought you. A hole. It's better now that I'm alone. . . I can't bring harm to anyone else. I just wish it hadn't taken this for me to see that light. Good-bye. . . My loves," I muttered, sniffing. Then, I buried them.

I had to get out of that house. I had to leave. I had to get away from all of those memories. Everything that reminded me of anything. I couldn't live in a house anymore. I wasn't worthy of it.

Leaving my tears where they trailed down my cheeks, I let go of the damp bed sheets I had been hanging onto and stumbled to what had been my room. Cassie's collar was lying on the bed still. I grabbed it and wrapped it around the neck of my plush dog, then grabbed my blanket and pillow. I had just been using the covers in the big bed and the pillow that came with it, but now I needed my stuff.

Grabbing my Escape's keys from the table, I shoved open the door to the garage, then hit the garage door button. It didn't do anything. I cursed as I remembered we didn't have power, so I walked over and opened the garage door manually, then I was gone.

I was just going through the motions. I was just driving along, not going anywhere. I wasn't really paying attention. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know what street I was on. I was just going, looking straight ahead.

Finally, I found a store with the door ajar. I parked the car and grabbed my stuff, then went inside.

The store was a Walgreens. I made my way to the back of the store to the employee lounge and bust down the door when I found it to be locked. I was going to stay here for as long as I could. I shut the broken door behind me and lied down my stuff. I crawled under my blanket and hugged my dog to my chest, then stared at the wall.

I never ate that night. I just stared at the wall, hugging my dog. I didn't think. I didn't feel. I didn't really want to think or feel. I just sat and brooded.

That was how it was for days. I just lied there in the back room and stared at the wall during the night, never getting up to eat or anything. During the day I would sleep sometimes, most of the time fitfully.

I was trying to starve myself. Trying to die. It was the only thing I thought was left for me. I had no real purpose anymore. I was just a lump with liver, a mockery of life. I was only living purely to live. There was no one to protect anymore. I had no friends. All that was left in the city was the Infected and some zoo animals. Hardly ones for company.

The hunger became too much to endure. I couldn't stand it any longer, and my body, my mind, they wouldn't let me continue on without feeding on something. No matter how much a thought I wanted to just curl up and die, deep down I had a strong desire to live. I was weak, but I had to eat.

I stood up, the blanket falling off of my body, and slowly left the back room. There would be food in Walgreens. They always some sort of food items. I went through the isles, searching, and found lots of snacks. I tore open a small package of Pringles and went to town. When they were empty, I got some Lays and ate the whole bag in one sitting.

It wasn't enough. There was something missing from my diet, something I needed terribly. I hadn't even feel like I had eaten at all. What was it that I needed? I wondered the store, looking for something, but couldn't find it.

Instinctively, I left the store. I needed to find it. I needed that something terribly. I didn't bother taking my car– it was like I had forgotten about it completely– and I just staggered around, still weak with hunger even though I'd eaten a ton of chips. Screeches in the distant went unheard.

A smell caught my attention. It was tangy– like copper. What was it? It smelled delicious. I headed toward the smell and noticed a trail of blood under my feet. I followed that as much as the scent.

Ahead of me there was a small group of Infected. They were surrounding a dead deer. It lied open, and the Infected were gorging themselves.

Meat! That was what I needed.

I went on the offensive. That was my meal. I growled and crouched down and swiftly moved toward them. The Infected look up and over at me, then snarled. I hissed back and stopped a few feet away from them.

_Are you gonna move on your own, or am I going to have to move you?_ I thought, narrowing my eyes at them and growling.

All five of them turned to face me and they roared to try to deter me. I wouldn't buy their bluff. I sprung on the nearest and, after a small tussle, sent him running. The Infected glared at me, and I roared at them. They scattered, and the deer was mine.

A ravenous hunger was fueling me. I jumped on the deer and tore into it without a second thought. I was faintly aware of the Infected hanging around, waiting for me to eat my fill. That was fine. I just wanted to make the hunger go away.

I ate all I could, then walked away. The Infected waited until I was a safe distance away, then finished what they had started. I felt appalled at myself afterward. I had just eaten raw meat! That couldn't be healthy.

Could it?

I did feel satisfied and my mind was clearer. The Infected lived off of raw meat, and they were like me. I decided I was going to be fine.

I started back to the Walgreens. I didn't want to be outside any longer. I just wanted my pillow and my make-shift bed. There was no reason for me to be outside. I didn't have anything to do.

There was a screech in the distance. It caught my attention. I had heard that screech before. It had been angry the last time I had heard it, but the voice was the same no matter what.

The Alpha Male.

I turned my body to face the direction the sound had come from. I stood there for several seconds in the middle of the street, just staring off into the distance. There were no emotions left in me. I couldn't even feel hatred toward the creature.

I turned and walked back to the store and crawled under my blanket. That was where I belonged now.

So, there I sat for another few days until my hunger for meat drove me to find something fresh outside my home. Again, I just went through the motions and ate without really feeling anything except the hunger.

I dreamt for the first time in over a year that day.

The sun was shining brightly over the city. It was a cloudless day in New York City, and there was no breeze or wind so far. People were out and about, walking in and out of stores. There were children screaming gleefully and running around, driving their parents up a wall.

And I was out there, standing in the sunlight. Standing among the other people bustling about. I wasn't burning. I couldn't feel any pain. I looked down at my hands and arms to see that I was just fine.

A breeze kicked up then, but I couldn't feel it. The only reason I knew there was a wind blowing was because a sheet of newspaper hit me in the leg. I leaned down to pick it up, then looked it over to see what was on it. Headlines were missing, and it could have been the classified section, but it was all a little hazy to me. What I remember was that there was a date in the corner.

July 4, 2015.

The paper fell out of my hand and blew away in the breeze. My grip had loosened out of surprise. This was the future. It was a future without a virus, without the Infected running amok. A cured future.

I awoke from my dream, slowly, and sat up, still drowsy. While I gave my mind time to process my dream, I found myself staring unseeingly at a wall. There was a chance the human race could make a comeback. Someone had to be alive somewhere working on a cure or something.

My dream had showed me that. It had reminded me why I needed to be alive. Why I had to keep fighting. If there was any sort of chance for humans to return, I had to see that. I had to be a part of that.

There _was_ a reason for me to live.

With that realization, feeling washed over me as if my nerves had been reconnected with my brain at last. I was actually aware of exactly where I was and what I was doing for the first time in over a week. It was like I had woken up from a coma.

But the pain was overwhelming. I had become numb to my losses, only crying as a preliminary thing. Because it was what I was supposed to do, I realized. I hadn't actually _felt_ the emotions of my loss except the very basic feelings. I was now feeling the physical symptoms of my mourning. I felt the losses in my heart and my body and my mind. I actually realized what I had lost.

I was finally feeling more emotions than basic guilt and basic sadness.

Rage. Rage was the most prominent. Rage at the Infected. It was them who had taken everything from me. My family. My pet. My boyfriend. My entire world. The only things that mattered to me. They were the reason for my pain. They were the reason I had nothing left.

Revenge was what I wanted. Revenge was what I was going to go get.

* * *

**Oh my! I completely got caught up in other things and didn't remember this until I got a review! So very sorry for making you guys wait. T____T As an apology, I think I shall post up the rest of this part! Which will of course will finish this story, and I will have to start a new one for part two. ;3 **


	14. Chapter 14

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

Interruption time. Sorry.

Today is the tenth. Of July. We've had a busy few months, and that last chapter or two was hard to write. I couldn't find the right way to explain just how I felt. It had taken a long time for me to write it because of that, but obviously I eventually got my feelings down on this paper.

Anyway, busy few months it was. Yes, I'm Yoda now. Neville had me out and early every night to set traps and bring back their contents.

What are we catching, you may be asking? Infected Rats. Neville wanted several for his cure that he was working on; his experiments. A lot of the different compounds he made killed the rats or had no effect, so we were always getting new ones.

We could only bring them back at night, too, so that was my job. So fun. I had to go out and pick up the several traps that had caught something in them and bring them in, then go back and reset the stupid things. Sometimes I had to let a rat or some other animal go that wasn't Infected. It was for the cure, so I had put my story on hold for the time being.

Hopefully he'll have a cure soon. He's making a new set of compounds now, as his first batch of thirty or so had turned out to be a bunch of dead ends. No promises what so ever. He's a smart man, though, so I know he'll get it eventually.

So far he's used just his blood as a base for his compounds. I offered some of my own, but he has refused for some odd reason. Maybe next time.

Until he gets another batch made, we have as many rats as we can handle, and they are _vicious_ little things! They don't like me, though (just as all other Infected creatures), and they often hide at the back of their Plexiglas cages from me. When I'm even allowed down in the lab, that is.

I have to put them in the cages, too. Dr. Neville prefers not to get bitten all the time, and all the rats do is tremble when I pick them up, so it's safer for everyone if I do it. He might drop them if he gets bitten, then we'll have an infestation of Infected Rats.

It goes without saying that that would be a very bad thing. Especially for Samantha.

So, I'm not really all that sure when I'll get the chance to work on this story again. Hopefully once a night, but I won't be spewing out chapters after chapter anymore. Sorry, but I've got a lot going on and the next few bits get rather emotional. Words are bound to escape me.

But, I'll get on with the story now. A big fight is about to happen. I wouldn't want to keep you from that, now would I?

I'm getting really tired of putting that stupid ending here all the time, so here's a little something different for you. Variety is the spice of life, they say. It gets really repetitive, anyway.

* * *

I couldn't sleep that day. My pain and depression kept me awake, so instead I sufficed to sit against a wall, hugging myself, and brooded. I only cried like once or twice.

When the sun fell at last, I was ready. I was riled up and my spiraling depression had turned into a violent rage. I was out for some blood, and nothing was going to stop me from getting it.

Once the sun was completely under the horizon, I went into action. I traveled to another store in my Escape to find sustenance. The only thing I had eaten for that week was part of a lemur carcass. Zoo animals weren't ready for the life of city animal. I almost felt bad for them.

Anyway, the point is that I needed food as soon as possible because I was feeling weak with hunger.

So, I was going hunting! Kind of.

I stopped at a King Soopers and broke into the grocery store, then headed for the canned food isle. Some of them had pop-caps, and canned food is pretty much immortal. I could count on it filling me up.

Best of all, the canned meat!

The canned goods had already practically been ravished beyond repair I found out to my dismay, but there were still some left on the shelves. There most likely would have been some in the loading bay, but it wasn't highly probable, so I picked through the meager rations and found. . .

Canned ham.

I needed a can opener for it, though. That was alright, though. I could find one. I grabbed a can of chili, too, then headed for appliances. King Soopers didn't have a big selection, but I hoped that it would have what I needed.

It took some doing, but I found a can opener. It had required traveling to a different store and two houses to do it, but I had found one that didn't need electricity to work and still opened my cans for me. I didn't even bother to cook any of it. I had already proven I could eat raw meat, and canned food had been cooked once. Processed, at least. There were a lot less healthy things I could have done.

So, I ate the spam and the chili straight from their containers. It wasn't fresh meat or a steak dinner, but it got the job done.

With the food giving me the strength I had dearly needed, I started the hunt.

I went on foot from my Walgreen's home, leaving my Escape there. I would need some sort of surprise, and a car with its loud engine would not give me that. I would stalk the Infected before raging any sort of attack, because I wanted to make sure that I did it right this time.

Little did I know that the Infected broke into different groups during the night. It took me a few tries and cost me a few precious hours, but I found the group the Alpha male was traveling with.

Keeping my distance from the group of fifteen or so, I watched the Alpha Male. Particularly how he interacted with his peers. I didn't want anyone coming to get revenge for him. I had to be careful even though I really had nothing more to lose. Even if I did make a mistake, there would be no way to get their revenge.

He really wasn't a very nice, very kind leader. He was always shoving people around and roaring at them. I had a feeling he wasn't going to be missed at all when I was through.

More importantly, though, he didn't have a new mate that I could see. There was no surprise there after seeing how he was treating his other subordinates. Why would a female put up with him willingly when he was so abusive? I sure as hell wouldn't even want to be in the same town.

While I watched them go about their nightly lives, my rage boiled inside me and got me ready for the fight. I didn't even have to rely on the Infected's various noises and smells. I was feeding off of my own fury and sorrow now.

Once I was sure that I could safely engage the Alpha and kill him with little or no repercussions, I started my attack.

Moving silently, I circled around the group in order to get closer to them without being noticed at all. I wanted surprise, badly, and I was going to go out of my way in order to get it.

When I thought that I was close enough, which was hard to do with the group constantly changing positions in the city, I struck.

They were in Central Park, and I was on the upside of some stairs, creeping along the edge not very far behind them, but it was covered and protected by growing weeds and shrubs. I was downwind, so they couldn't see or smell me.

The Infected never knew what hit them.

Out from my hiding place I leaped. I landed on top of one of the grunts, and the Infected screeched with surprise. Exactly what I wanted to hear. They started to scatter, and I let them get away with it. In front of me stood their leader. He was all I wanted in this scenario.

I let the Infected that was under me get my and scamper away as I squared off with the Alpha male. He'd move to one side and I would mirror that move. I wasn't about to start that circling crap. Foreplay. That's all that was. I had no time for it.

He had this look on his face that informed me that he knew what I was there for. He knew why I had come. At least he knew why he was going to die. What his fatal mistake had been. It didn't look like he knew he was about to die, though: his expression showed no fear, only smugness.

I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I wanted this creature dead. I wanted him dead as soon as possible. I snarled and charged him.

The Alpha looked completely taken off-guard, like he hadn't been expecting me to attack. That made me wonder what he had actually been expecting. I only wondered about that for a second. I didn't care right then. I knocked him flat on the ground and pinned him down. He roared in rage and tried to push me off, but I slammed him against the cement and managed to stay on top of him, glaring at him while I thought of a befitting cause of death.

Suddenly, the Alpha let out a distressed wail or something. I looked around, snarling a dare to anyone who wanted to help him or even try to.

No one did, though. There were several watching, but none acting.

I looked back down at the trapped Alpha. He was glancing around wildly, barking and growling to his subjects. I let him call for that back-up all he wanted to: no one looked remotely intent on aiding their leader.

Shock and betrayal played on the Alpha's expressions. He had thought that his subjects were loyal to him. Sucks to be him!

Just as I was about to kill my prey, another Infected male stepped forward, his movement catching my attention. I stepped hard on the Alpha's chest to drive all of the air out of his lungs in order to keep him somewhat docile, and I stood up to face the male, growling a warning.

He looked like a strong, muscular Infected with broad shoulders. He was wearing torn, dull-gray pants and a green jacket that was slightly tattered. He stopped moving toward me and looked down at his leader. I followed his gaze and saw hope in the winded Alpha's dim eyes.

I looked back at the new male, narrowing my eyes at him, and stomped on the Alpha's chest again. He never blinked, even though his leader yelped with pain like an injured dog.

Then, the male smirked.

Several emotions danced across the Alpha's face when I looked back down at him; shock, betrayal, hurt, then rage. He didn't like how this was playing out. Confused, I looked up at the other male. He met my gaze, then nodded and walked away.

The Alpha Male roared in fury and I slammed my foot in his gut to silence him once again. Had I really just been given permission to kill this Infected? From one of his own men? I actually started to laugh a little. It was rather a maniacal laughter, really. His own subordinates hated him! How better could this get?

These new creatures, half feral and half human, were a very interesting species.

I turned on the gasping Alpha and picked him up to his feet by his left shoulder, then I threw him into the wall that I had jumped from and continued to do so a few more times.

For several minutes I just caused the ex-Alpha as much pain as I could. I didn't just want to kill him, I wanted to torture this person-thing.

And so I did.

The entire time I was performing the most inhumane and heinous things to the Infected male, it was like I was watching it all from a distance. It was like I was just a bystander in during it all.

An appalled bystander.

Only when the Alpha stopped moving and making noises did I stop my acts. All motion from him had stopped completely. Not even his chest moved. Scowling, I nudged him with my foot, but there was no response. I had succeeded in getting all the revenge I had wanted, but I was still empty inside. Bobby and Cassie weren't coming back. Ever. This hadn't made them come back.

I was still alone in this bleak world.

It was suddenly like that bystander part of me was back. I was appalled at myself. I had taken the life of a sentient being in the most vicious and heartless manner one could think of. For what? Just nothing. I had gotten my friends' deaths avenged, but that was about it.

No. . . These creatures were murderers. They were sentient, but only on the lowest level possible. Yes, they could learn, feel emotion, plan, even. But so could dogs and dolphins.

Still feeling upset with myself, as upset as I could be, for being so heartless toward the Alpha Male, I headed for my Walgreen's. The sun was starting to rise and the horizon was starting to turn gray. I needed to rest and I needed to get my dark room.

And I needed some time to think.

The sun was practically over the horizon by the time I had reached my home. I shuffled to the back room, head low. I lied down on my bed of blankets and clothes and stared at the wall.

I decided to learn more about the Infected. What did they do in their spare time? How were they during that time? Where did they go? Did they have a language, and could I decipher it since I was part Infected?

Could they maybe learn to except me as one of them?

I wasn't _completely_ alone in the world I supposed. They weren't exactly human, but at least they were some sort of company. The best way to destroy an enemy was to make them a friend, wasn't it?

There was no real hope of me befriending the Infected, though. There couldn't be: they really didn't like me, and I had killed several of their people and four of their Alphas. I say four because I must have killed the Alpha Female when I was with John: no one came to seek revenge against me.

It was worth a shot, however. If I could learn any part of their language and decipher the way they acted around each other, maybe I would be able to apologize and become a part of the group.

Despite my growing loneliness, I couldn't see myself living amongst these monsters. I didn't even like the idea on some level. However, I had to try something. I had to do something and keep busy so I wouldn't go insane. If I didn't do something productive, I would just wither away and become even more hollow than I already was. I wasn't the kind of person who would commit suicide, so I would just become a lump on the ground.

I wasn't going to let that happen, so this was that something.

It took a few hours after sunrise, but I did eventually fall asleep around noon-ish after my plans for the night had been devised.

I woke up around the end of dusk. I waited for the sun to fully set, then left my little room on foot to find the Infected and begin my observations. It didn't take long for me to find a group once they were out and about, but I kept my distance and watched them, paying close attention to their language, oral and physical.

The first night I learned next to nothing except that these creatures did have different personalities. Some were more vicious than others, some were more gentle, even though there was no extreme gentleness, like in humans.

Still my loneliness grew to be unbearable, but I grew numb to it. I learned to deal with the fact that I was alone and became numb to everything.

I kept my distance with the Infected, though I learned more and more about them than I had ever hoped to. They had different groups within a giant group that could be classified as their friends. They all had some sort of love interest in the swarm.

The newest Alpha Male was a scrawny little thing. I had wondered for some time why he had become the new Alpha, but soon learned that he had a posse of bigger males that followed him around. As far as I could tell he had no Alpha Female, though. At least that way if he got out of line I wouldn't have to deal with any repercussions. Even though I had nothing to lose.

After a month or so I had given up human rituals like hygiene. Every once in a while I would take a "bath" in a fountain that still had water in it or in the rising water line. Rivers were beginning to overflow as dams broke down and some streets close to the water line had been flooded.

A few nights out of the week I would follow the Infected to their hive and see what they did during the night. They picked windowless buildings, or buildings with entire wings that had no lighting at all. Every day they would pick a small room, gather into a tight circle, and stand with their heads bowed. I thought it was a lot like sleeping, but I couldn't be sure they were actually sleeping. A few would stay up and act like sentries, but they weren't very good look-outs. Short attention spans.

It had been a few months since I had killed the last Alpha. I thought I was ready to try to make contact. I had some understanding of what could be called their language, and with body language down to par, I could make my case.

They had a new Alpha, too. The scrawny guy hadn't lasted very long. His big thugs started to wonder why they put up with them, so he was usurped and killed. The new Alpha was the Infected that had given me "permission" to kill the old Alpha all of those months ago. He seemed right for the job, and now I had a better chance of being accepted.

I was in my Walgreen's that morning, planning. I had to get this right. I didn't want to have to try several times to be accepted by these creatures.

That night was the night I was going to make contact.

* * *

**Whew! Cranking these out! I hope you guys enjoy the last few chapters! I'm still very sorry that it took me so long to update the story.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Fifteen.**

* * *

Damn. Still touch-and-go with the cure. Dr. Neville can't seem to get it right, but I know he'll get it. He has to. It can't be much longer. . . A few days? A month maybe? He just has to find that cure. . .

It's the sixth. Of September. My birthday was two days ago. I would have written earlier than that, but the rat thing was still a problem, and we found some Infected dogs snooping around the house about dawn-ish. I wasn't very happy about that. Dr. Neville was furious, so I had to chase them off.

They won't be back any time soon. Or ever.

So anyway, for my birthday Dr. Neville threw me a sort of party. He hasn't told me when his birthday is, though. He will if he wants to, I guess.

The party included a cake. Yes, and actual cake. Dr. Neville actually _baked_ me a cake. I was very surprised about that. He didn't strike me as a baking kind of fellow. It was vanilla, since chocolate wasn't exactly easy to find to find, that was perfectly ok with me. I was just happy he had thrown me a party.

I didn't get a gift, though. I hadn't expected one, either. Samantha got me a nice little slobbery face, though. That was nice of her.

As a kind of present, Dr. Neville gave me the night off to watch movies with him. We watched _The Punisher_ and _Iron Man_ and the third_ Spider-Man_ movie. It was really nice to just sit back and relax. I wanted to work on my story, but I wanted more to just spend time with my friend.

Although, the cure weighed heavily on both of our heads. I don't even remember much of _Spider-man 3_. I was thinking about what we would do if he did fabricate one. Soon. . . Soon we'd fine out.

We had to.

* * *

A sound outside of my room woke me up. I sat up, looking around drowsily, and strained to hear the sound again. When I didn't, I just assumed it was some animal. I looked at the door and the little crack above the ground, and it was light out.

It was still daytime.

I groaned quietly and plopped back down on my make-shift bed made out of a mattress—that I had gone through hell to get into the room— and some blankets and my pillow.

When I was about to fall back asleep, I heard the noise again. I woke up for real this time, fully alert. The sound was a lot like that of a dog sniffing around. A dog in the middle of the day? I had though a lot of them had been infected. . .

Slowly, I crawled off of my bed and slowly toward the door. A shadow passed the crack under the door and I froze. It was definitely a dog: I could see part of its nose from where I was. It paused by the door and sniffed loudly, then started to growl. I unconsciously started to growl back and threw the closest thing to me at the door, which was a empty box.

The dog growled louder and started to bark. That wasn't the effect I had wanted.

"What you got, Sam?" a male voice said from outside my room.

My eyes widened and I quickly backed onto my bed and pushed against the wall, growling quietly. I hadn't been around people in months. The only things I had spent time with was the Infected, and that was from a distance. I had been so immersed with learning about the Infected that I forgotten how to be human.

So, I wasn't in human-mode. I was in numb-and-inhuman-mode.

The doorknob turned and the door opened. Light flooded into the room and I cried out, moving to a corner where the light couldn't reach. The dog, apparently named Sam, was the first in the room. A man stuck his head in a little after.

It was the dog that approached me first. It whined and looked at me with bright eyes, its head low in an aggressive-if-need-be pose.

"Sam? What's–?" When the man caught sight of me, he froze and his eyes widened. I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth in a quiet growl. He let his M-16 rest at his side and he slowly approached me.

"Hey, there. What's your name?" he asked me, he motioned to Sam and the dog moved away from me and lied down.

I made a hissing noise, still in disbelief that there was a human standing in front of me. A living, breathing human being. I was almost in denial, thinking it was an Infected trick or I had finally gone insane.

"My name is Dr. Robert Neville. That's my dog Samantha. What's your name?" he asked again, still moving closer to me. He could obviously tell I was in a weird mood.

Finally, I found my wits. I could smell him. . . And his dog. They smelled clean, and real. Real! If I wanted to find out whether or not it was just an elaborate hallucination, I would have to say something to them.

But what was my name? I hadn't used it in months. I couldn't believe I had forgotten my name, but it came back to me in a matter of seconds.

"A-Alexis B-Banes," I managed at last.

"Ok, Alexis. I'm going to take you back to my house, alright? Get you cleaned up and fed and checked for injuries. Is that ok?" he asked slowly, holding his hand out toward me. "You seem a little shaken."

Nodding in short bursts, I slowly got to my feet. "C-Can you hand me my blanket?" I requested, indicating toward my make-shift bed.

Dr. Neville nodded and grabbed my blanket, then handed it to me. I took it and wrapped it around my body, making a hood around my head. I could see Dr. Neville's questioning look. "I-I can't go out in daylight," I muttered.

He looked like he was about to ask why, but must have thought better of it because he just put his arm around my shoulder and walked me outside the room.

However, the shock was having a bad effect on my body, and I was tired from the events of the night before. I collapsed on my feet, but Dr. Neville caught me. He looked around, then scooped me up into his arms and carried me outside of the shop and into his car.

He had to shift me around a little bit to open the door to his car, but he managed and lied me on the back seat. I crawled into a comfortable position and faced the windshield so I could talk more effectively to my savior.

I would no longer have to try to live with those atrocious monsters. I no longer had to lower my standards.

Someone had sent me an angel.

"How long have you been living there?" he asked me once he got the car started and the dog settled in the front seat. He was still talking slowly, like he wasn't sure I would understand.

I had to think about that for a few minutes. How long _had_ it been? I hadn't been keeping track of the days since Bobby and Cassie had been killed. I gave him my best guess, though.

"I-I'm not really s-sure. Maybe three months? Four months?" I said at last. My speech had gotten better. I was grateful for that. The shock of it all must have been wearing off or something.

"Can you tell me why you can't go out in sunlight?"

What was I supposed to say to that? If I told him now, he'd probably dump me in the middle of the street and drive off if he didn't kill me first.

"You won't like it," I replied faintly.

I turned in the seat so that my head was facing the front windshield. Neville was looking at me through his rear-view mirror. I would have been alarmed if I didn't know that were no more drivers on the road or red lights to watch out for.

"Why?" he asked cautiously.

I took a steadying breath. "You have to promise me that you won't overreact. You won't be mad at me. You won't. . . become violent," I muttered, playing with a loose string on the blanket.

Dr. Neville looked to Sam. She just tilted her head to the side with her muzzle shut. He glanced over his shoulder at me, and I looked up at him pleadingly.

"Ok. I promise I won't do any of the above," he said at last.

Again, I took a deep breath. "I– Well, I guess you could say t-that. . . I'm um. . . Sorta in-infected?"

He slammed on the brakes and I fell onto the floor of the car and groaned. I sat back up and rubbed my head and clambered back onto the seat, moaning. I looked up and Dr. Neville was staring at me in disbelief.

"How long ago were you bitten? How did you survive the airborne and not a bite from one of them?" he asked me frantically.

I thought back. How long ago had it been? Well it didn't matter. It was a long time ago, and I was sure that if I told him anything past a few weeks he would be baffled. Telling him it was around a year ago would throw him for a loop.

"Well. . . Maybe a little more or a little less than a year ago?" I offered.

His mouth popped open. "What?"

"I'm serious. . . ," I said sleepily. I was completely tired and now the shock of having another human had waned. "It was when the poor excuse for an evacuation happened."

"But how–?"

I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know. I just don't know. . . I just am what I am. There's no rhyme or reason. . . ."

To make a point, I rolled down my window and stuck my vulnerable hand out into the daylight. I could only keep it out there a few seconds before the pain became more than just uncomfortable, but it was enough to make it start to blister and smoke became barely visible.

Wincing, I pulled my hand back into the car and gripped at my wrist, trying to quell the pain.

Dr. Neville turned back to the front and put the car into drive. "We can find out."

I tilted my head to the side. "How?"

Glancing at me in the rear-view mirror, Dr. Neville turned down a street, unbalancing Samantha. "I've got a lab, and I'm a doctor who specializes in the KV Virus. I'll find out what's going on."

Sighing with relief– relief that he hadn't overreacted like he had promised and relief that I might be getting answers soon– I lied back down on the seat and closed my eyes. I was so tired. . . I wasn't supposed to be up now. Before I drifted off I looked at the digital clock on the dash; three o'clock.

I closed my eyes again and drifted into sleep.

The only time I woke up was when Dr. Neville was carrying me out of his car and into his home. He struggled some getting me up the stairs, but I was too sleep-drunk to really help myself.

He set me on some bed, then pulled the covers over me. I yawned once, then turned and looked up at him and smiled sleepily.

"Thank you," I murmured before drifting off once more.

It seemed like seconds when I woke up next. I kept my eyes closed for several seconds, moaning. That had been such a wonderful dream. . . Why couldn't it have been real?

Finally I opened my eyes and my breath caught: I was on the floor of some place I did not recognize. I jumped to my feet and looked around wildly. Where was this place? It wasn't my Walgreen's!

There was a bed in the room, and the covers were all contorted and messy, but I had woken on the floor. Had I started on the bed? When I looked around some more I saw a thick blanket nailed over the window. I could see no light around the edges at all, so it must have been night time.

Disoriented and confused, I walked to the door. There was no way it could have happened. _No way_. It just wasn't possible! I was completely alone. I had scoured the city every night for months. I hadn't seen any sign of another human at all.

But here I was, in a house.

I shook my head and slowly emerged from the room. No, that doesn't explain anything. I probably was so tired last night I just crashed at the first place I could get into.

There was no way I would have nailed that blanket to the wall to block the sunlight if I was so tired I couldn't even remember crashing in this house. So what was the reason for my being there?

Feeling unreasonably paranoid, I peeked down the stairs and waited for a sign of life. All I heard was the muffled buzz of generators pumping out energy.

What was I doing? I was tough as nails. I could take out several Infected by myself. Why was I sneaking down the stairs? If anything attacked me I could just take it out. I felt pathetic.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I walked normally down the stairs.

The stairs led to the front door and a living room. There were no lights on this room, but I could see just fine. I furrowed my brow when I saw the windows: some of them had giant sheet metal shutters. Others had the crude blanket cover like the room had, but there was sheet metal lying on the floor and the couch.

I left the room and entered the kitchen. The only lights on were in the kitchen. That was where the buzzing was coming from, too.

At the table sat an African American man. The one from my dream! He was hunched over a few pieces of paper and at his feet lied a German Shepherd, her tail waving slightly. I stopped in the entry way to the kitchen and stood there, wide-eyed.

Sam lifted her head and started to pant when she realized that I was there. Dr. Neville looked down at her, then followed her gaze to me. He stood up. "Good evening," he greeted me. "You started on the bed, but at about five you moved to the floor."

That made sense. I had been sleeping on the floor for a few months now.

I fidgeted with my hands, but my gaze never left his face. "You. . . You're not a dream. . . ," I pointed out weekly.

Dr. Neville chuckled to himself. "No, but I can see how you would think that. I was a bit shaken up when I found you. Would you like some dinner? Or breakfast or something? I have little left over."

Before I replied, I looked around the kitchen, staying in the archway. The counters were stocked with all kinds of canned goods, crackers, boxes of other foods. The cupboards were made of glass; all of them exposed the food stuff they harbored within, and there was not a single open space on the shelves. Plants occupied some of the counter space and ultra-violet lights dangled above them.

He walked over to the oven and pulled a plate out of it and set it on the table. He motioned toward it. "Go on. You have to be starving. There's not much meat, though. I haven't found any recently."

I walked to the table and stood over the meal. It was mostly fruit, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. I looked up at him, and when he nodded his encouragement, I sat down and dug in.

It wasn't fresh meat like I was used to, but my body loved it. I hadn't had this kind of vitamins and minerals in a long time. I had kept enough sustenance in my body from the meat, but it wasn't near enough. Maybe the Infected could live off of just meat, but seeing as I was part human I needed a little bit more.

I cleaned my plate and sat back in my chair. I couldn't believe that I had neglected my needs like that for so long.

Dr. Neville took my plate and put it in the dishwasher, then sat in the chair across from mine, resting his chin on his hands. "So. What's your story?" he asked me after we stared at each other for a few seconds.

Unnerved, I looked down at the table. "What's there to tell? It's the same story as you. As the rest of the world. My family was killed by the Infected, I was bitten, I was changed into some sort of freakish hybrid, some dude named John tried to imprison me and make me protect this giant group of survivors, I met this guy and he helped me escape, we lived together for a few months, then he was killed by the Infected and I was left alone."

He nodded. "Right. But most people wouldn't have been able to go on. I'm moving on because of Samantha here. I'm going to fix this. I can still fix this."

I looked up at him, furrowing my brow. Did he think he could find a cure? I looked up at him and sighed. "I almost gave up. If I hadn't found something to do with my time, something to give me purpose. . . ."

"What was it?"

It was hard for me to tell him. I had only just met him, and what would he think about my self-given purpose? Disgusted? Well, he was the only person left. What could I lose?

Except his company, of course.

"Well. . . I thought that since I was last person left, and with my other half, I thought that maybe I could learn their language and become one of their numbers. . . I was all alone and desperate for company. . . So I occupied my nights with learning about them as a species," I explained after a few minutes.

Dr. Neville leaned back in his chair and I looked at him through the top of my eyes, trying to read his expression, but I could tell nothing.

"When were you going to try to assimilate yourself?" he asked me after a few minutes. I could tell nothing from his voice except that he was mildly intrigued by my statement.

Hesitating, I looked up at him shyly. "Tonight. . . ."

It was strange. I was talking to this man like we were old friends. All I knew about him was that his name was Robert Neville and he was a doctor. Yet, I had no trouble talking to him. With some exceptions, of course. Was it that I had been yearning so hard for some sort of human company that now I finally had it I was going to take whatever advantages I could get from it?

Though it did feel nice. The intelligent conversation. I hadn't spoken English to anything in months. I had begun to wonder whether or not I could ever remember how to use it (thought not really: it's kind of hard to forget your native tongue).

"Well then it's a good thing I found you, isn't it?" he mused.

I smiled faintly. "I guess it really is. Saved me the humiliation of living as one of those horrid things. I don't even know why I was thinking that in the first place. . . ."

"Can't say that I blame you, really. Thinking you're the last person on Earth does crazy things to people. It effects people differently. For me I have to find a way to fix that– I think Samantha's really saved me, though– and for you it seems you have to latch on to any sort of company you can find," he said, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Nodding once, I set my hands calmly on the table. I suddenly felt myself blush as I remembered that it had been several weeks since the last time I had rinsed off.

"Um. . . Could I. . . Use your shower?" I asked nervously, fiddling with my fingers again. I was very self-conscious now that I was in the presence of another civilized being. How grungy did I seem to him?

Dr. Neville chuckled to himself. He seemed to be taking the fact that he wasn't alone pretty good, too. Maybe he had still been hoping he'd find someone.

"I was just about to offer. I collected some shampoo, conditioner, and soap for you. I wasn't sure if you liked any certain scents, so I just grabbed some. . . ." He stood up and walked to other room as he said it, then came back with a basket.

I smiled gratefully at him. "Oh, no it's fine. Totally. I couldn't care less right now. I just want. . . to be _clean_."

He nodded and handed me the basket. "I understand. It's up the stairs. Third floor. Second door from the left."

"Thank you," I muttered as I stood up.

"Look, uh, Sam and I are going to go to bed. I don't have the barricades on the windows up there, so if you could not use the light. . . ?" Dr. Neville requested before I was out of earshot.

Smiling slightly, I nodded. "I won't. I can get along just fine in the dark. You're using generators for water, aren't you?"

He nodded. Sam was at his feet, sitting up, looking at me with a tilted head.

"I'll try not to be too long in there, then. Just take another on in the morning if I don't feel clean enough. The generators might be loud enough to catch their attention, and I know you wouldn't want that," I offered.

Dr. Neville looked as if he hadn't thought of that. He looked thoughtful for a few seconds, rubbing his chin. "Yeah, you're right. . . ," he said with a slight frown.

I furrowed my brow. "I think I'll just take a shower in the morning. That wouldn't very nice of me to alert them to this little settlement you have here on my first night. I don't think I could chase them all off with their source of food dwindling. . ."

He gave me a weird look. "You can _chase_ them off?"

Feeling slightly uneasy for some weird reason, like I was afraid if I told him in the affirmative he would turn out like John. I looked around warily, but answered truthfully. "Yes. . . The Infected don't care too much for my company. I didn't think my plan for assimilation– as you called it– was going to work because of it, but I had to try something to keep occupied.

"What do you mean they 'don't care too much for my company?'" he asked, walking up the few steps to where I was standing, one foot a step higher than the other.

"Well, I think they're afraid of me. They try to stay away from me if they can help it, but if I corner them they give a half-hearted effort of fighting back, but I can almost always over-power them. I've killed a few Alphas–"

He put his hand up to stop me. "They have _alphas_? Like a sort of hierarchy?"

I nodded.

Dr. Neville shook his head, leaning into the railing with his left arm. "That can't be right. . . ." He said it so quietly I wasn't sure I had really heard him.

After a few minutes, he straightened up and addressed me. "Well, we'll have to run some tests tomorrow. I'll find out what's going on with you, don't worry. And if you don't mind, I would like you to wait till morning that shower. Precautions. I can't believe I didn't think of it before. . . ,"

I smiled encouragingly at him. "Don't worry. I won't hold it against you. I mean, you did just find another survivor. You probably just want to make me feel at home."

He nodded, then turned to Samantha and motioned up the stairs. She got to her feet immediately and ran up the stairs, turning to go up the next flight of stairs. I watched her go, amazed at the discipline.

"She's a good dog," I commented, barely able to keep the sorrow and longing out my voice.

"She really is. I don't know what I would do without her. She's a life saver, that dog of mine," he agreed, following after the German Shepherd. He paused, then turned to say something else. "If you could refrain from going outside, I'd appreciate it. And don't eat unless it's for a meal. No snacks, I mean. If you want to sleep, you know what room you were in, right?"

I nodded. "But how do you know I'd go outside if you hadn't told me?"

He smiled slyly at me. "You were half-asleep when I found you. At three o'clock in the after noon!" he scoffed good-naturedly. "Any survivor wouldn't be wasting scavenging opportunities with a catnap."

"That's true," I allowed. "Won't be much to do sitting in a dark house, though."

"Yeah. . . I have some books and a flashlight. You could busy yourself with that," he offered.

I shrugged. "I guess. Where are you going?"

He nodded his head up the next set of stairs. "Up to the bathroom. Sam and I stay in the tub for the first few hours of the night. When the screeches are loudest."

My heart jumped to my throat. Dr. Neville wished me a good night, then continued up the stairs. Was he really that worried about getting found out that he and his dog lied, all cramped up, in the bathtub? And did the Infected get _that_ close to the house so that he couldn't sleep without fear of getting attacked in his sleep?

Shaking my head, I walked up to my room and set the basket of soaps and shaving cream and shampoo and conditioner on the empty desk across the room from the bed. I sighed while looking around the room. A sigh of relief. I was in a real house now. I had a real bed again. Obviously it would take me a few days to get used to sleeping in one again, but it was nice to know it was there.

But more importantly, I had a home. I had a potential family. I could find out what was going on inside my body at last.

I was not alone.

And I was going to do whatever it takes to make sure my new friends were safe.

* * *

**There we go! The moment we've been waiting for! However, that is not the end of this part. Not yet. A few more chapters and all will be clear. 3**


	16. Chapter 16

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

That was by far the best day–night?– that had ever happened to me in that second year of the end of the world. Just when I had thought all hope was lost, Dr. Neville had swooped from the Heavens and plucked me out of the darkness and took me to his sanctuary.

I was not lying when I said I thought have him as an angel. There was no other way to describe him at that moment.

It was about January when I met him. Maybe December? I can't really remember. Dr. Neville would know. Either way it was like a Christmas present from some higher power saying "Here you go! You deserve it, kid!"

Now it's almost been a year later Just a few more months to go.. We've grown close, and I can't recall if I've said this before or not, but I've come to think of Dr. Neville as a type of father figure. I guess. He's always looking out for me, but I look out for him, too. It's more of a big-brother-little-sister-type relationship, I guess you could say.

It's September still. It's only been a few days since I last wrote. So, it's September ninth. Dr. Neville is still working on another batch of compounds, but I haven't had to go rat hunting in the past few nights.

It can't be much longer.

God. I want to be human again. If I had one wish, it would be that this had never happened. Or never would. Something along those lines.

Anyway, it's time for the diagnosis.

* * *

I went to bed that night and slept. I hadn't slept during the night in, well, a year or so. It was hard for me to get to sleep at first, but I managed to do it somehow. Maybe my nerves were more shot than I had imagined.

Maybe I was in shock at finding another human.

Whatever it was, I fell asleep after a few hours of lying on my bed. I would have to stay up all day an all night to stay in my normal routine, but Dr. Neville wanted to run some tests on me. I knew he wouldn't be up during the night, and I wanted to know what was up just as much as he did. I could pull an all-nighter for that.

It seemed like minutes later when Dr. Neville came into my room and woke me up. I looked around groggily, then sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"What is it?" I murmured, still half-asleep.

"Wake up. I made breakfast and I've already taken a shower, so it's all yours once you've eaten," Dr. Neville said, his voice crisp.

"But it's so light outside. . . ," I mumbled, drawing the blankets up over my head.

"I've drawn the blinds. You should be just fine," he assured me, yanking the covers to the foot of the bed. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us today, so get a move on."

Grumbling to myself, yet glad I had decided to sleep instead of wander the house, I got up out of the– no, off of– the floor and meandered downstairs where the smell of eggs touched my nose.

Ah. More real food.

I sat down at the side of the table I had sat at the night before and more slowly ate my food. There were some veggies, but it was mostly eggs.

Dr. Neville wasn't in the kitchen. I wasn't sure where he was, but I assumed he had already eaten. Sam was in the room, though, wolfing down her eggs and leaving the vegetables on the edge of her plate.

That was strange. Didn't she eat regular dog food?

He came around the corner and busied himself with something in the sink– dishes maybe? I swallowed the bite I had and tried to strike up a conversation.

"Why do you feed her normal food?" I asked him, indicating with the nod of my head toward the dog scarfing down scrambled eggs. She looked up at the sound of my voice and made a small whimpering sound.

"Huh?" he mumbled, turning toward me. He looked at the dog then nodded his head. "Oh, that. Yeah. Ran out of dog food. A lot of people took it in the chaos to eat it themselves or stocked it up for their dogs. I haven't been able to find those bags yet, but now I don't think she'd go back to Kibbles. Especially not after tasting the food _I_ give her."

I chuckled to myself. "That's true."

After finishing what it was he was doing, he walked past me. "Hurry up with that. We have a lot to do and I need to be somewhere by noon."

Turning to watch him leave, I gave him a confused look. "Where–?"

But he was already gone.

Curious, I wolfed down the rest of my meal, rinsed off my plate in the sink and left there, unsure of what else to do, and ran up the stairs to take a shower. I wanted to get everything done quickly so I could figure out how Dr. Neville ticked.

I grabbed a random thing of shampoo, it's matching conditioner, some liquid soap, the shaving cream and a razor, then hurried into the bathroom.

Just as I was going to walk into the bathroom Dr. Neville had told me about, I gasped and moved back into the hallway, dropping my things on the floor. The sunlight was so bright in there. . .

"Dr. Neville!" I called.

It took him a few minutes, but he arrived, looking worried. "What is it? What's wrong?"

I indicated to the bathroom. "It's really bright in there. . . ."

He blinked at me, confused. Had he really forgotten? Rolling my eyes, I stuck my arm in from of the portal and let my arm sizzle for a second before I held it back to my side.

"Oh! Oh, right. Hang on," Dr. Neville said apologetically. He waltzed into the room and drew some blinds or something, then came back and out and motioned toward the tub. "Sorry about that."

I smiled at him. "Don't worry about it at all. Thanks."

He nodded curtly, then went back down the stairs. I waited a few seconds, then gathered my bathroom stuff and walked into the bathroom.

It was a very big bathroom. It had some shelves, there was a toilet and a sink in the corner, then the only other thing in it was a golden bathtub. There was a shower hose attached to it, but that was it.

I set my soap stuff on the shelf next to the tub, then started to scavenge for a towel or something.

"Oh, um. . . Alexis, was it? I have a towel for you. And until I can get you some other clothes, here's some of my wife's. . . You're about her size. . . ," Dr. Neville announced, standing in the doorway.

His eyes were blurry with grief as he spoke of his wife. I turned all the way around to face him. "You don't have to do that if it make you. . . uncomfortable," I told him.

He shook his head stubbornly and walked in the bathroom to set the clothes he had for me on one of the shelves. "No, you need them now. I'm not gonna let you walk around my immaculate house with those rags."

I smiled meekly at him. "If you say so, Dr. Neville."

On his way out, he turned his head back to look at me. "The towels are under the sink there."

"Oh, ok. Thanks."

Dr. Neville shut the door behind him and left me to my showering. I took a few minutes to look at the clothes he had picked out for me, and they did look like they would fit me with maybe a little extra room, but it just made me wonder what had happened to his family. He still had pictures of his wife and daughter all over.

Shaking my head, I undressed and got into the bathtub for my shower. The water turned brownish black at the bottom of the tub once I got it started, and I felt myself blushing. I had really let myself go. . .

I took a good half-hour in the shower. I shampooed my hair five times, conditioned it three times, used up half of the liquid soap over a span of seven rinses, then tried to shave, but the only hair I had was on my head.

Well, at least the Virus was good for something.

Once I thought I was going to get as clean as was humanly possible in one shower, I towel-dried off, discovered a hair drier and dried out my hair, making it lay flatter than it was naturally, then dressed in the clothes Dr. Neville had given me.

They fit nicely, though the shirt was a little loose. Mrs. Neville must have had a bigger chest than me.

I took a good, long look at myself in the mirror. I hadn't done that in months, and I barely recognized the girl staring back at me with those dull, violet-ish eyes. Didn't they used to be blue? Or had they always a bit of purple tinge? I honestly couldn't remember.

My skin was different, too. Much paler than a normal person. It was almost so pale it was translucent, and you could see most of my capillaries through my skin– they were almost greenish. It made my face look hideous. I didn't know how Bobby could stand to kiss my lips let alone stare at my face.

Tired of examining my strange, disturbing face, I moved to look at the damage to my hair. It was frayed and wasn't quite soft to the touch. It was still brown, but it was no longer just above my shoulders, like I liked it to be. It had to reach the bottom of my shoulder blades, now.

I ran a hand through it and it came back covered in hair. It felt brittle, like dead leaves. I washed my hand off quickly in the sink and started to run both of my hands through my hair, and each time they returned with a handful of strands.

"Oh, my God. . . ," I whispered. My hair was seriously thinning out. Was this an effect of the virus? Other Infected were totally bald. Even the dogs. But I'd always had hair on my head. . . Maybe it was just going to get thin. Maybe once it got to a certain point the strands would remain healthy.

For a few minutes I stood there in front of the mirror, pulling out my hair. It did eventually get less and less, and when I stopped there was still enough hair on my head to make me look as normal as I was.

Thank heavens for that at least.

I knew I would have to find a way to cut my hair short again, though. There was no way I going to keep long hair healthy with this virus trying to get rid of it.

Sighing, I headed downstairs to find Dr. Neville so I could get this thing figured out. I wasn't sure what time it was, but if he had to be somewhere by noon, I didn't think he had too much time before then.

"Dr. Neville?" I called, walking into the kitchen. "Dr. Neville? I'm ready now."

He came walking around the corner, wringing his hands with a towel. Sam followed at his heels. "Oh, hey. Follow me, then. I'm gonna have to ask you right away not to touch anything, alright?"

I nodded once. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Smiling a small smile at me, he led me through the kitchen. I looked around for some sort of timer, but I couldn't find one. I caught up with Dr. Neville and followed him down a hall to another door.

"What time do you have to leave?"

He shrugged and opened the door for me, but stopped Sam. She whimpered once, but sat down to wait. The stairs lead down to a basement, and it was lit with a dim red light. "I decided missing one day wouldn't make a difference. This is a little more important."

"What was it you had to do at noon?" I asked, walking down to the landing.

Dr. Neville opened another door and let me go in first. "Go down to the South Street Seaport. I got a radio broadcast I do, trying to get survivors to come there. Tell them they're not alone."

"You do that everyday?"

He nodded and washed his hands with a disinfectant and indicated for me to the same. "Yeah. Everyday for the past year. No one's ever showed up. I go though. I always broadcast."

I suddenly felt bad. I paused for a second to concentrate on cleaning my hands. "Well, who am I to stop that? Couldn't you come back afterwards and perform these tests?"

Again he shrugged, walking inside the better-lighted lab and threw on a lab coat. "No, it's quite alright, really. It doesn't matter much to me. I have to take the time to take care of my guests, now don't I?"

He indicated to a table and I sat down. "I suppose."

While I sat there, Dr. Neville gathered everything he would need and set up a computer, putting on a pair of glasses.

"Dr. Robert Neville, January thirteenth, 2011. The subject's name is Alexis," he glanced over to me, and I relayed my last name for him again. "Banes. She claims to be Infected, and we're going to find out exactly what's wrong with her."

For another second he fumbled with a small camera and attached it to the rim of his glasses. "Switching to live feed." He walked over to me, picking up a small flashlight, then stopped in front of me. "Beginning the physical tests. Tissue samples will be examined later."

He looked me over for a few minutes before talking again, taking in all of me. Every once in a while he would cup my chin his hand gently and rotate my head to look at the side of it, then he'd touch my hair.

"First observations; skin is filmy, clammy, feverish, and very pale. Her hair is very thin, yet still intact," he said. He held one of my eyes open and flashed the blue light in front of it, back and forth. It was bright. "Her pupils are fully dilated, but slightly responsive to the light."

Dr. Neville set the light down and picked up my wrist and watched his watch for a few seconds, then let go of my wrist and picked up a thermometer. "Pulse is one hundred-sixty BPM. Checking temperature now. . . ," he said, sticking the thermometer under my tongue.

It was a few minutes before it read my internal temperature and when it did, it announced it's finding with a rapid beeping.

"A temperature of one hundred-ten," he said, picking up a light off the tray next to the table. He turned it on and it flickered to life, humming quietly. He picked up my arm, then glanced up at me. "This might hurt."

He held the light up to my bare skin for a few seconds. The light started to burn my skin, so I yanked my arm from his hand out of instinct, giving him a hurt look.

"Extreme reaction to UV light."

Glaring at Dr. Neville, I held my injured arm to my mouth and gently blew on it, trying to stop the burning. "I could have told you that. . . ," I muttered.

"Sorry, Ms. Banes. I've gotta record everything. You need something on that?" he asked me, looking not in the least repentant.

I shook my head and let my arm fall to my side. "No. It'll be better in the morning."

He looked at me weird. "You have accelerated healing?"

When I nodded, he came and examined my arm. "Subject claims to have an accelerated healing process. More on that tomorrow. My hypothesis would be that the symptoms support the subject's claim to being infected with the KV-Virus, but all will be told with the tissue samples. Taking them now."

Dr. Neville turned to grab a syringe and needle, then turned back to me.

"Tissue samples? Why don't you just take some of my blood?" I asked, a little confused. "Isn't that easier?"

Again, he gave me that searching, confused look. "Normally victims infected with KV don't bleed like normal humans. Their blood clots too fast for tests."

I hesitated. "Well. . . I bleed."

Dr. Neville took my arm, then, without warning, stuck me with the needle right above the crook of my elbow. I gave a sharp bark of pain and withdrew my arm, hissing angrily at the man.

He motioned for me to show him his arm. "Subject shares certain reactions with the Infected, and she does, in fact, bleed. Hemorrhaging is slower than normal, but she does bleed. Taking a blood sample to replace the tissue samples. Behavioral note: subject claims the Infected react with fear around her."

I made a face. "I wouldn't call it fear so much as. . . wariness," I corrected him, trying to convey the emotion a little better. I was also getting a little annoyed with him calling me "the subject," but I didn't say anything.

Ignoring my comment, since it was already on the record, Dr. Neville drew some blood from one of my easily-seen capillaries. Once he had enough, he walked to some sort of machine and set the vial of blood in a holder. He then walked to a drawer and pulled out a pipet and sucked a small amount of my blood into it. He covered the tube back covered it back up, then set up a microscope and slide. He peered through the microscope while the machine he had set the tube in whirred and did whatever.

Bored, I looked around the lab. There was a set up of Plexiglas cages piled neatly on top of each other against one wall, but all of them were empty. Behind my table was a mini-room with four walls. The closest wall to me was made entirely of Plexiglas with a sliding door and a big fancy lock.

That was a lot of Plexiglas.

"You don't have to sit down here any longer if you don't want to. This might take a little bit," Dr. Neville informed me after a few seconds.

I was startled by his voice after the silence. "Oh. Ok. I'll just go. . . Give myself a tour?"

He nodded. "Sure. And if you could, could you throw Sam her tennis ball a few times? It's in that closet by the front door. If you don't want to risk being outside that's fine."

Carefully lowering myself off of the table, I straightened my clothes. "I'll see what I can do. Just call me when you've finished doing. . . Whatever it is your doing. Your tests or whatnot."

Dr. Neville waved at me absent-mindedly and I showed myself the door. Sam was waiting outside the door, just where Dr. Neville had left her. She stood up when I opened the door, then backed up to give me room to leave. I shut the door behind me so she couldn't get down to the lab.

"Hey there Sam!" I greeted her. Her tongue lolled and she scuttled toward me to lick my hands, but didn't jump on me. I kneeled down and started to pet her. She loved the attention.

Once she had had enough of my love, she sat back down at the door, waiting for Dr. Neville to emerge. I smiled at her, then went about my tour, finding where everything was. Bathrooms, bedrooms, closets. . .

I peered into a bedroom at one point in time and found it riddled with stuffed animals, pictures– both homemade and photographic– and painted a light pink.

My hand flew to my mouth and I automatically pulled myself away from the room. Dr. Neville had a daughter! By the look of the pictures, only about nine or ten! Maybe less. My heart went out to the guy.

It was slightly hard walking through the house. Everything was so bright and sunlight came from everywhere. I ended up having to wrap myself in a blanket to walk around. I didn't complain, though. Dr. Neville was nice enough to take me in. He didn't need some bratty girl complaining about everything.

When my exploration was over, I went to the closet Dr. Neville had told me about and found more than just a tennis ball– bottles and bottles of vinegar, flashlights, and a horde of all kinds of keys.

"Sammy!" I called, bouncing the ball on the ground. She came skittering across the floor at the sound of the ball, panting and looking pleadingly at me. "Wanna go play fetch?"

She barked at me, and I giggled. "Well then let's go."

Samantha stood at the front door, and I cautiously opened it. She shot out and waited at the end of the walkway for me, her head tilted.

"No, we're not going any further," I told her, sitting down in the doorway. I wasn't going to go any further out in the sunlight if I could help it. She whimpered, but I flashed the ball and she barked. "Alright! Here it comes!"

I sat there for maybe thirty minutes just throwing the tennis ball for her as far as I could throw it. She would always come and drop the ball for me. Sam really was a well-trained dog.

"Ms. Banes?" Dr. Neville's voice called from inside the house. "I've got the results!"

Looking over my shoulder, I saw him with his head poked out of the door. I called for Sam and she came bolting inside. Dr. Neville closed the door before she could push in and the German Shepherd sat down to wait.

Smiling to myself, I put the ball away and headed down to the lab to get the diagnosis.

"Have a seat," he told me without looking at me.

I followed his order– or suggestion– and sat back down on the table he had had me on before and neatly folded my hands in my lap to wait for him. The rather dungeon-like lab was much easier on my eyes than the bright upstairs.

After a few minutes he walked to me and gave me a wary look. "Subject Alexis Banes is positive for the KV-Virus. Her blood resembles that of canine in which she is immune to the airborne strain but not the contact strain. Several symptoms, like hair loss and loss of sanity and unresponsive pupils seem. . . slowed for lack of a better term. While sensitivity to sunlight, transparent skin, and well, viciousness are prominent."

"Hey! I'm only vicious when around the Infected or caught off-guard by pain or just surprised in any other way," I pointed out defensively.

Dr. Neville chuckled. "Of course. Another note, her immune system seems to be fighting off the virus, like it's trying its hardest to stay healthy. This could be why the process is held at bay. Subject may convert eventually, or she may revert to a more human existence. It can only be decided with time."

Before walking back to his laptop, Dr. Neville nodded at me slightly. He put his hands on the counter with his personal computer and spoke. "Files saved on five redundant drives. Survivor found." He punched some keys, then set his mini camera on the table.

I figured it was safe for me to jump off the table, so I did while Dr. Neville walked toward me. "So. . . What are you going to do with me?" I asked him, trying to sound casual.

"Well I don't see any reason you can't stay. Sam seems to like you, and you're not trying to devour my flesh right now. You'll just have to earn your keep if you're going to stay here," he told me, leading me back up the stairs.

"Um. . . Can we stay down here? I'm starting to get a headache being in the sun. Even if they aren't direct rays," I requested sheepishly.

He stopped, then walked the three steps back into the lab. "Oh, sure. I keep forgetting about that."

Shaking my head, I smiled at him. "That's alright. But how can I earn my keep? I can only go out at night, but I could most certainly do some scavenging while I'm out and about," I offered.

Dr. Neville looked thoughtful. "Yeah. You could pick up where I leave off when I come home. Oh, and I'd like you to tell me all about the Infected. Whatever you know, I probably don't know. And I have a list of items that I like to look for, but don't ever let Sam lick you when you get home until you get in the shower. I don't want to take any chances with her."

"Of course! I won't hurt her. Or let anything hurt her if I can do anything about it," I assured him rather violently.

He gave me a strange look, then sighed. "Also, you have to tell me your story. You're whole story. Where you lived, how many in your family, what happened up until we met. Is that alright?"

I fiddled with my hands and looked down. "Yeah. . . But will you tell me your story, too? I want to know, also."

Dr. Neville nodded. "That sounds perfectly fair. Do you want some lunch?"

I nodded and shifted my position on the table I was sitting on. "Yeah. . . We probably shouldn't eat down here, though, should we?"

He chuckled to himself. "No, that's not the best idea. You wait a few minutes and I'll close the shutters so it won't be as sunny in the living room," he said, hurrying up the stairs for a few minutes. He returned shortly, then motioned for me to follow.

As he had promised there was barely any sun in the kitchen. I sighed in relief and sat down at the kitchen table when Dr. Neville told me to, and waited for my food.

After a few minutes of silence he handed me a paper plate. On it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My stomach churned with disappointment. I had been expecting like ham or turkey or something. Anything with meat, but it wasn't going to happen it seemed.

Of course, I didn't ask. That would have been rude. Dr. Neville didn't have to take me in, so there was no way I was going to even mention the lack of meat.

Dr. Neville sat across the table from me as he had in breakfast, his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of him. I had been waiting for him to start, so I didn't take a bite until he had taken his own. It was a pretty good sandwich, despite its lack of meat, so I stuffed it down my throat in less than five minutes.

"So. How about that story?" Dr. Neville prompted around a bite of his sandwich.

I took my time to swallow, then pushed my empty plate to the side so I could rest my arms on the table top. I took a couple breaths, then looked up at Dr. Neville, trying to decide where I should start.

My story took all of a half an hour to tell, from start to finish. Dr. Neville only interrupted me to ask a few clarification questions, mostly to do with the Infected or myself, probably for scientific stuff, but for the most part he listened to my tale, his face showing the right emotions at the right times; pity, sympathy, confusion, anger, intrigue. The whole nine yards.

When my yarn had been spun, he didn't say anything for a few minutes. He just looked down at his hands, as if he was taking it all in. I looked around, getting uneasy, and started to pet Sam when she came over and sniffed at my hand.

Finally, he looked back up at me, wringing his hands. "That's quite a story. I know you're probably not looking for it, but I am terribly sorry for your losses. It's hard, but you've been handling it well, it seems."

I just laughed quietly to myself. "Did you not see where I was living? I was in the back of a Walgreen's, living off of what meat I could find or steal from the Infected. I've been a complete mess, and I've been going around killing those things just so I had something to do. You're giving me too much credit.

"I mean– You've most likely lost your family and friends, too, and you're still living in your house! You've got it set up here to be ready for World War III or a nuclear bomb or something. You go out everyday to scavenge for food while I sit and mope, only getting food when the pain becomes too unbearable. You keep living your life and I'm in my little store, wasting away. . ."

Dr. Neville cleared his throat and I stopped talking. He had his eyebrows raised, and I felt myself blush a little bit. He turned his head to the side to scratch behind his ear, then looked back at me.

"Well, everyone handles our pain differently, and what I mean when I say that I think you've been handling it well is that you haven't, you know, killed yourself or whatever," he elaborated, waving his arms to add the effect.

I looked down at the table and put my hands in my lap. "Oh. Yeah, haven't done that. Thought about it one day, but I never would have been able to execute it."

He nodded. "That's understandable. There were times when I thought about it briefly. Very briefly, mind you. I have Sam to think about, and I'm going to fix this. I wouldn't be able to do that dead, and I'm the last chance mankind has at getting better. . . I need to find the cure."

"Which brings me to another point; what's _your_ story?" I interjected, seeing my opening and jumping on top of it.

Dr. Neville took a deep breath. "My entire title is Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville from the Army. Doctor Robert Neville is my title from the lab. I'm a scientist, and I am working on the cure for Dr. Krippin's Viragen Virus. KV for short. There isn't a whole lot to tell except that I was at the South Street Seaport to see my wife and my daughter out of the quarantine, as I had elected to stay behind and fix this.

"Unfortunately, they never made it off the helicopter. Another helicopter was attacked by the Infected and crashed into theirs. That was a hard first few weeks, but eventually I got over it just enough to start to deck out my house. . ."

The helicopters! I had seen that happen! I stared dumbstruck at Dr. Neville as he told his story, unable to believe that after all of that time I had met the person who the helicopter accident had affected. I had never once even dreamed that I would meet that person, or that anyone had survived, yet here I was. I missed parts of the story from my disbelief, but, wow. . .

I started to think more and more that this meeting of ours hadn't just been a coincident, but had been an act of fate.

". . . spending my days scouting houses for supplies. It has been over seven months since I had seen the last person in this town. Most of them jumped the barriers or were taken out by the Infected. I had lost all hope of finding another survivor about three months ago.

"But then I found you," Dr. Neville finished.

"And now we're full circle?"

He nodded once.

I sat back in my chair and nodded thoughtfully. "Well, guess it was a good thing for both of us that you found me, isn't it?"

"It seems that way."

We sat in utter silence for several minutes, the only sound was Sam's panting. Then Dr. Neville got to his feet and took our plates to the trash can. "Well, you should probably go get some sleep," he said at last, turning to look at me and lean against the sink.

"Why?" I asked. I wasn't arguing: I felt really tired, but I was just curious.

"Because I need you tonight, and you'll have to wake up at dusk," he said. "I haven't been able to go out today, so I'm going to need you to go out and scavenge for me."

I shrugged. "Oh, alright. Sounds fair. Just give me that list and the houses you need done, and I'll do it. I'll just need to go and pick up my car from the Walgreens. It's my only means of transportation, and I don't want to use up all of your gas."

Dr. Neville chuckled to himself. "Oh, you won't need to worry about a car. I have one you can use instead. Most of them all have full tanks, so you don't need to worry about gas, either. Not that we have to pay."

I smiled. "Yes, that's true. Alright, I'll just take one of your cars, then."

After bidding Dr. Neville and his dog a good night, I bounded up the stairs to my own little room. The shutters were already closed. I crawled into bed, then stopped moving when I heard a sound. It was only Dr. Neville opening the shutters in the kitchen, so I lied down and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

**Insightful? Perhaps. Just a couple more chapters and this story will be complete! =D Well, this part, anyway. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

Dr. Neville shook me awake that morning. I gave a frightened snarl and leaped off the bed, taking Dr. Neville to the floor. He harrumphed in surprise and then started to yell at me as I sat on top of his chest.

"Woah, woah, woah! Don't make me shoot you, girl!" he demanded, glaring up at me.

I blinked at him, then promptly scrambled off of him, my hands over my mouth. I watched him silently as he got to his feet, then I reached out to him unthinkingly. "I—I'm so sorry! I don't know—!"

He lifted a hand and rubbed his chest and jaw with the other. "Don't worry about it. It was my fault. Should have done it with a stick. . . ."

Chuckling nervously, I looked around. "A stick, huh? Well, better I bit that in half than your arm," I joked, relaxing slightly. At least Dr. Neville seemed to have a sense of humor.

"I'm cooking dinner if you want to come down and have breakfast," he offered, ignoring my comment about the stick.

Dinner? I stared at him blankly for a few seconds before I found my voice. "What time is it?"

He glanced at me as he started to walk out of the room. "Almost six in the evening," he said slipping quickly out of the room. I heard him head toward the stairs and I started to follow. "Why do you ask?"

"What do you mean _almost_ _six_? I fell asleep around two! You only let me sleep for _four hours_?" I demanded, my voice a low growl. "Have you any idea what that'll do to me if I don't get my full ten hours of sleep?"

Dr. Neville was already half way down the stairs. I flew after him, but instantly recoiled back up the hall with a loud hiss as the sunlight hit me.

"Oh damn! Sorry. I forgot," Dr. Neville apologized, grabbing Samantha by the color as she came barking into the room. She probably didn't like that it sounded like there was an Infected in the house.

Technically there was an Infected in the house, but I didn't count.

Sam looked at me for a while and sniffed the air, then slowly inched forward. Dr. Neville muttered some commands at her, then she sat down and whined, dipping her head as if she was ashamed.

I stood up and pat the top of her head quickly before I had to withdraw my hand back into the dark. "Good girl, Sam."

Her ears perked up, then she stood and walked back to the dinner table.

Dr. Neville rolled his eyes at me. "You better stay there for a few minutes while I close the blinds. I usually wait until the sun really starts to set, but for you I'll make it earlier," he said, sounding a bit sarcastic.

I narrowed my eyes at him, then turned and started to go up the stairs to the first landing. "Please, _try_ not to go out of your way for me."

"I won't!" he called back.

Shaking my head, I sat down on the highest stair step I could without actually going to a landing. I could hear Dr. Neville slamming shut the shutters and locking all the windows down. Samantha whimpered a few times, then I was able to go back downstairs without sustaining third-degree burns.

"Why do you have these shutters on?" I asked, sitting at the table. Mashed potatoes, peas, corn, and some macaroni and cheese. Just like mom used to make.

I stared at my plate, then looked down to see what Sam was eating. Dog food, but with the macaroni on top. I looked back at my plate, then at the apple juice sitting next to my plate. After taking all that in, I looked up at Dr. Neville. He looked up at me from his own plate, chewing on some mashed potatoes.

"Something wrong?" he asked me, looking a little concerned. "Does it not look cooked enough?"

Shaking my head, I picked up my fork and speared some cheesy noodles. "No it's just. . . There's no meat," I said passively, as if I didn't really care. But really, I cared a whole lot. No meat?

Dr. Neville nodded. "Yeah. Meat can't be grown and I don't have a heard of cows to slaughter every few weeks when I run out of steak," he said after swallowing some peas. "What meat we do get has to be eaten right away because if it's fresh, it attracts them."

I stared at my plate and swallowed my macaroni. "I could fix that. They don't bother me."

Dr. Neville looked up from his plate. "Really? How do you plan on doing that? They're running out of food. They're hungry and desperate. I'm sure they could overrun you in a matter of minutes if they thought you were hording meat."

Sighing, I slowly chewed on the corn I shoved into my mouth. I wonder if he would. . . Then maybe I could show him what I was like. . .

I looked up at him. "Why don't you come with me tonight. I'll show what it's like to be me for a few hours. I can catch you deer. I do it all the time. And I can help you find a place to hide the meat so they'll never be able to smell it."

He looked at me and it almost seemed as if he was glaring at me. "How do you plan on doing that?"

Smiling, I tapped my nose. "I can smell the same things they can. I can get you meat as often as you need it. So, even if we can't find a good hiding place, you'll always have as much meet as you ever need. Squirrel. . . Fowl, deer. Whatever."

"I'm not going out there with you. I need my sleep as much as you do," he said, at last addressing my other offer. "But the meat idea sounds good. I just can't let you hunt by killing it would your teeth. Scratches by those things don't do anything, but one bite and the meat would be infected."

I thought about that for a few seconds then nodded. That made plenty of sense. "Alright. I'll see what I can find tonight and do some good old hunting! No teeth involved. But really. I think it would do you good to see how the Infected treat me."

"So I'll give you a camcorder," he said, violently chewing on his macaroni.

I dipped my head, feeling like I probably shouldn't have suggested it. "Sorry. . . I guess you're right. . . It wouldn't be much fun for you, and if they ever found out where you lived. . . ."

He nodded and swallowed slowly. "I can't have them find me. It would be disastrous. My defenses are not strong enough to kill an entire swarm of them."

Nodding, I quickly finished off my peas. "I understand. And because of this kindness you have shown me, I'll do more than just go out at night and get you food and what have you. I'll keep those things from finding out where you live at all costs."

Sam whined below us and looked up from her empty plate, cocking her head to the side. Dr. Neville nodded, looking down at his plate. "Thank you," was all he said.

We ate the rest of our dinners in silence, then Dr. Neville went about his nightly rituals. He paused for a few seconds to talk me through the night.

"Alright, so you better get leaving now so those things can't follow you. Here's a list of stuff I'm looking for and the houses I didn't get to today. Now, if you find anything else you think we'll need, go for it. You can take the Edge. Here's the key, it's right behind the Explorer," he said, speaking slowly so that I could take in all the details.

I nodded and slung the three packs he had given me over my shoulders. I couldn't believe that I was going back out there into the wild city. When I had first met Dr. Neville, I had thought being around the Infected was going to be only a memory.

But here I was, going out to meet them again. Apparently that was where I was supposed to be.

"Now get going," he said teasingly, unlocking the heavily protected front door and letting me out. I waved to him slightly, then he closed the door and I heard him push the heavy locks into place.

Taking a breath, I turned and looked for the Edge. It was right where he said it was, all silvery and shiny. I threw my bags into the back seats, then crawled into the driver's seat. I had a ways to drive before I got to the area Dr. Neville had listed, so it was a good thing he was letting me have his car.

Before I could pull out, Dr. Neville came running down the stairs, pulling a jacket on over his shoulders. I put the car back into park and waited for him. He opened the passenger side door and climbed in.

"I changed my mind. This will do good for my research," he said, sounding a bit disgruntled. He was toting a big sniper rifle and he kept glancing around, even though I could not even hear the beginning of what sounded like the Infected waking up.

I gave him a once-over, then nodded and put the car into gear and took off. At least now I could get some directions.

"So, decided to come and watch me work? Like some nature scientist watches the bears?" I chuckled, glancing at him from the windshield. I wasn't meaning to be sarcastic or anything.

He gave me a strange look, then shook his head. "I suppose you could say that, couldn't you?"

"Well you won't have to worry about a thing Dr. Neville. I won't let anything bad happen to you," I vowed, chuckling as I spoke. It didn't dampen the seriousness of that promise, though.

"I believe you."

The rest of the ride was relatively silent and I found myself wishing that I could flip on the radio. I knew, however, that there would be no music, no talk shows, no nothing.

I would have to go and find my iPod.

When I reached my destination, it was dark out and the cries of the Infected could be heard nearby. Dr. Neville was completely on edge and had his gun pressed against his chest protectively.

Sighing, I turned in my seat to face him. "You stay in the car. They're a few blocks away, but as long as the car isn't running and you don't make too much noise they won't even know you're there. I'll go in that house and find whatever I can, and if those things get around the corner I'll come out for you."

He nodded, not saying anything, and just swallowed hard. He kept glancing around warily and patting his sniper rifle.

I gave him a long look, then pat his shoulder. "Don't worry, Dr. Neville."

With that, I slipped out of the car, locked the doors, and shut the door as quietly as I could, then I ghosted into the house. The door wasn't locked, not that it would have mattered.

I took a look at the list Dr. Neville had given me, glanced back at the open door, then started to rifle through the house.

There was little in the area of food and I only managed to find a can of Boyardee Ravioli. Just one. There was some cereal, but the boxes were open and had long since been ravaged by mice and bugs.

I ransacked the bedroom and found myself some clothes that looked like they fit, then picked out some of the movies that they had. Those things weren't really on the list, but I thought they'd come in handy eventually. For me, at least.

The sounds of hungry Infected grew louder. I stopped looking through the fridge long enough to turn to the door, my eyes narrowed and my ears straining to hear anything.

I dropped my bags and headed swiftly for the door. The Infected were about to come around the corner.

I emerged from the door, facing the car and looked to Dr. Neville. He was breathing hard in panic and had the gun pointed at the driver's side window. I looked over and saw that that was where the Infected were coming from.

They appeared around the corner, moving in their odd limping gait that wasn't quite a limp. I snarled and they all froze, growling and hissing.

Narrowing my eyes, I took a step toward them. They snarled and took a step back. I chanced a glance at Dr. Neville and saw the confusion on his face. He lowered the gun, then started to watch more intently.

Suddenly, a screech rose in the Infected crowd. I whipped my head around to face them. They were staring at the car, moving side to side and swiping at the car.

A wail ripped through my throat. They had spotted Dr. Neville!

They started to move forward, but my presence frightened them. They wanted the food in the vehicle, but they knew I was there and would stop them.

One of the brave ones made a stupid move. Funny how bravery and stupidity came hand-in-hand sometimes. He took a few steps forward, then started to sprint for the car.

I snarled and sprinted toward him to intercept him. He realized his mistake far too late and tried to stop himself, but I leapt and barreled into him, knocking him flat on his back. He let out a long whine and we wrestled on the ground for a little bit until he got up and bolted for the rest of the group, limping for real. I stood up and snarled after him.

"You will not harm this man!" I bellowed at them, speaking in their language of growls and snarls. They looked at each other warily. "Unless you all plan on being eradicated within a week."

Their attentions were torn between me and Dr. Neville. The were slowly backing up, but they didn't want to be.

Guess I'd have to give them a little incentive.

With another snarl, I charged their little group. They squealed and turned to run away and I launched myself at the slowest one, the limping guy I'd injured earlier, and slammed him to the ground, falling on top of him. He roared fearfully and I bit into his shoulder.

He scratched at the ground, trying to pull himself free, and I in turn dug my long nails into one of his arms. After a few seconds I got up off of him and he took off like a bat out of hell.

Snarling after them for a little more effect, I watched them disappear down the street and then I turned back to the Edge where Dr. Neville was seated, mouth agape and eyes wide. I smiled sheepishly at him, wiping my mouth with the back of my arm and wiping my hand on my pants.

Slowly, he opened the door and poked the gun out, glancing around. "Are they gone?" he asked nervously.

I looked around and strained my ears, but their sounds were receding into the darkness. I turned back to him and nodded. "Yeah. They're gone. They won't be back for quite a while."

Dr. Neville nodded and stepped out of the car, leaving his sniper rifle on the seat. "That was. . . interesting."

"Yeah. . . They don't much like me. Not really sure why. I'm sure if they got passed their fear they'd be able to tear me apart. But they don't like me. Once, though, I pissed off one of their leaders and he nearly killed me, but I beat him," I said. It was exaggerating a little.

"Very interesting," he said. He looked me over, circling me once. "You don't know why they seem to fear you?"

I shook my head. "No. They just. . . Apparently they don't like me. The first time I met up with one, well, after I was bitten, he just stopped dead before he attacked me, then ran away."

Dr. Neville nodded. "I'll have to see. . . It's probably just because they don't know what you are. You probably smell like them a little bit, but you look like an uninfected human. You seem faster than them. . . ," he muttered, talking more to himself than to me.

"Um, yeah. Well, I'm going to go get the stuff I could find and bring it back, then we can move on," I said, waving to him slightly and walking backwards into the house.

I left the house a few seconds later to find Dr. Neville locked back up in his car, his eyes flitting around nervously. I rolled my eyes and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Relax," I said. It was odd, talking to this guy as if I'd known him for ages. Then again, that's how I normally was with people I had to hang out with.

"Easy for you to say," he retorted, leaning back in the chair. He flicked the safety on so he didn't accidently fire a round and put a hole in the car. Not to mention the noise might attract some of those things. "It'd be hard for them to eat you."

I had to suppress a giggle. "I s'pose so. But you've got that gun. I'm sure you could take down some of them before they got to you," I said, glancing away from the rode to look at him.

He shook his head chuckled. "That makes me feel a whole lot better."

For the remainder of the night he stayed in the car. Every once in a while when I'd come back from a house I'd find him asleep in the passenger side, so it was obvious that he _had_ relaxed a little bit. I wondered how long it took him to fall asleep at night.

On several occasions he had told me not to return to the house until the sun had risen. I obediently followed that direction, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or nervous that the Infected were going to find him.

We returned to his house around six. Both of us stumbled into the house as if we were drunk. Really, we were both really tired. I made myself a quick snack to tide me over for the night—my snack was some Gold Fish crackers—and then I headed up to bed.

Sam was happy to see Dr. Neville home and safe, and she was glad to see me, too, but I merely pet her on the head and dragged myself upstairs to my dark room and collapsed on the bed.

I was going to have to do something about getting up so early at night. I felt bad that Dr. Neville hadn't gotten much sleep, as he wasn't going to be taking another day off. He was going to get up early like he normally did, then start his day.

Well, he could catch up on his sleep that night.

Sighing, I snuggled into my little guest bed and pulled the covers close under my chin. I stayed awake for a few minutes, smiling to myself: I had a purpose again. I wasn't just living because I didn't have the guts to kill myself. I actually had a reason to be alive again and it wasn't to try to befriend the Infected.

I had someone to protect, and I was no longer alone.

* * *

**One more! I hope you guys have liked it thus far. Comments--constructive or otherwise--are appreciated, of course. ;3 I don't care so much about the rating--I don't think I've even looked at it--as I do the comments! I like to hear what you guys have to say!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Part One: INFECTED**

**Chapter Eighteen.**

* * *

It had been weeks since I'd last eaten any kind of fresh meat. I was irritable and half the time I couldn't think straight. I actually brought home a trash can one morning. That was it. Just one single can of trash.

Dr. Neville wasn't even angry. He actually seemed quite amused. However, when he asked me about it and tried to take it from me, I very rudely snarled and took a swing at him.

"Hey! What the hell're you doing?" he demanded as he leaned away from my hand. Sam growled and hid under the dining table.

"Don't touch my trash. . . ," I growled, hugging the canister to my chest and carrying it up to my room. Sam started to whimper and growl, so I turned around and let out a screech, shutting her up, then I shut myself up in my room, setting my trash bin in the corner.

I lied down on my bed but soon found out that it wasn't all that comfortable. I tossed and turned and growled for hours to try to fall asleep. Between that and my hungry belly, I was getting no where fast with sleeping.

Snarling, I sat up. The battery clock on the wall said. . . one. . . one something. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, but that didn't make it any easier, so I just tore the damn thing from the wall and threw it in my new prized possession—the trash can.

Panting—well, more than usual—I went and stood in an empty corner. It just felt safer and it was more comfortable then lying in that prone position.

That was how I actually fell asleep. Standing in that corner. I didn't wake up until the sun was completely under the horizon as usual and I turned from the corner and looked around. It was dark. Good. I was still hungry. Not good. There were sounds coming from downstairs and a voice. I narrowed my eyes. Also not good.

Growling, I walked toward the door. I stared at it though, suddenly wondering how I was going to open the thing. I could break it, but I knew there was an easier way. . . Somehow. . . I felt along the door, cursing my hunger.

The doorknob! That's it! I let out a low growl of satisfaction and turned the knob, pushing the door open. The voice was still there and someone was walking around. I growled, wondering what or who could be in my place.

My stomach clenched in pain and I hissed. Whoever was down there was going to feed me. They would rue this night. . .

I slowly made my way down the stairs. I could smell them. . . One human and one canine. My dry mouth watered and a growl started in my chest. A lovely meal they would make. Just a few more flights, then I wouldn't be hungry anymore.

"Stay here. I'm going to go and check on Alexis," the human said. I froze. The human was coming up the stairs.

I smirked. Right into my hands.

Silently—except for the sound of my rapid breathing—I waited. Just a few more seconds and the human would appear. I growled with the anticipation. Then, his head appeared around the landing. He looked up at me and I let out a low whine.

"Alexis, what—?"

He didn't get to finish his question: I threw myself down the stairs at the human, cutting him off. We tumbled down the stairs and he landed on top of me. I snarled again and then bit into his shoulder. The human gave a pained cry and I tasted the glorious tangy flavor of his blood in my mouth. . . . Oh how wonderful it would be to devour him. . . .

My head suddenly cleared and I released Dr. Neville from my teeth with a terrified squeak. Sam had appeared nearby, barking and growling, but she never tried to attack. She knew me, but now I was hurting her master. I knew she was confused.

Dr. Neville got up off me, holding his shoulder and glaring at me. I scrambled up against the wall, still sitting, and my hands over my mouth. "Doc—Robert, I—I—!"

"What the _hell_ was _that_?" he yelled. He turned to his barking dog. "Sam! Get out of here!" She whimpered by scampered off, glancing over her shoulder and lying down somewhere.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what—I was so hungry! I didn't mean to. . . ," I said after he turned back to me. "I lost myself, I guess. . . I didn't even know who you were anymore. I didn't remember you lived here. . . I was just so hungry, you were just a piece of meat to me. . . Are you ok? I made you bleed!"

I let out a low wail that only an Infected could make.

Dr. Neville lifted his hand to look at the wound I had given him. He took a breath then shook his head. "It's fine. Nothing a little gauze won't fix." He shifted to walk to me and the air swirled. The smell of his blood hit me like a ton of bricks.

My stomach clenched painfully with my hunger and I got the urge to attack my friend again. My vision swam and I growled. Dr. Neville stopped, narrowing his eyes at me.

"You smell good enough to eat," I sighed, forcing my body to be still. Everything right then was demanding that I attack. With him so close and bleeding, it was getting hard not to throw myself at him and rend his flesh from his bones. "I need to get out of here."

He nodded and stood up to walk into another room. I could still smell him and his delicious blood. But I had to leave. Preferably before my mind was wiped clean and I forgot what I had to do. I had to leave and keep myself from hurting Dr. Neville. Or worse, hurting Sam.

After a few seconds I got to my feet and hurried toward the front door. I ran as far as I could from the house—which was pretty far—and stopped to rest.

I never took the car when I was hunting. I moved more silently on foot.

There was nothing on the streets except the Infected. They had bigger numbers, so I paid attention to their screeches. I wanted to know who was successful with hunting. I would steal their prize.

It took quite a few hours, but I finally heard what I wanted to hear—the victorious screeching of the Infected. I snapped to their heading and sprinted for the area I thought they were in.

The Infected were in the middle of the street, huddled over a dead something. I snarled and they all whirled around to face me, hunched over and mouths open as they growled back at me. I stormed toward them, murder on my mind, and a few ran, but some stayed behind.

They looked just as hungry as I was.

"Mine!" I declared in a ferocious snarl. More tore off for safety, but there were still those that were going to challenge me for the meal. That was fine. Maybe I could get rid of some of this anger.

I launched myself at the nearest one. It screeched and held its ground, but I bowled him over and slammed him against the ground. The others scattered, some grabbing scraps of meat, but others tried to help out their buddy.

I quickly dispatched my first victim and squealed as another Infected dug his teeth into my biceps. I whirled around and elbowed him in the nose with my free arm. I heard a satisfying _crunch_ and the Infected went reeling.

The third one backed off, narrowing his eyes at me. I snarled at the others around and stood over the dead. . . deer. They had caught a deer.

Anyway, I snarled at them and turned a 360 to keep them at bay long enough for me to rip off one of the deer's legs. I glared furiously at the Infected, then I walked off, leaving the rest of the carcass there for them.

I turned a corner and settled myself in an alley, then started to dig into my boon. I stripped the fresh meat off the deer leg and completely cleaned the bone. There was not a piece of venision left to devour when I was finished with that limb.

It's safe to say that I was satisfied. Completely. My stomach no longer panged for food, my vision was crystal clear and sharp again. A fog had been lifted from my mind and I could think clearly again.

I sighed a huge sigh and leaned against the brick wall behind me. I would have to start getting meat earlier, otherwise I was going to end up seriously hurting poor Dr. Neville. That wouldn't be a very good thing. For either of us. I wouldn't be able to make it through the world anymore if I became the reason for Dr. Neville's death.

For several hours I just sat against the wall, my eyes closed, and listened to the sounds of the night. An owl hooted somewhere and that surprised me. The Infected were loud. I knew now why Dr. Neville was always so wary when he went to sleep.

I didn't move from that spot until the sounds of the effective soon dwindled to nothing and the first hints of daylight turned the sky a light gray. I got to my feet and slowly walked back to Dr. Neville's fortress.

The sun was completely over the horizon by the time I returned home. I could already feel the effects of the sun on my skin, but I got inside before the burns got too bad. The blinds were still drawn so I didn't have to worry about wondering around in the house.

I waited on the couch for Dr. Neville to wake up. Samantha came padding down the stairs, whining slightly, when she heard me come home. I smiled at her and held my hand out. She sniffed it, then nuzzled my hand with her nose. I started to scratch her ears and she sat down, looking up at me from the tops of her eyes.

"That's a good girl. You're such a good doggy," I crooned in a whisper, smiling down at the dog. I started to stroke her cheeks with both my hands and Sam's tail thumped happily against the ground.

After I few minutes I made myself a dinner. Well, it wasn't really dinner. I was quite full from the deer leg, but I had gotten a little peckish after my walk, so I got myself a small bag of Gold Fish. Dr. Neville said I shouldn't eat snacks, but he had all this snack food. How could I not?

It was another hour before Dr. Neville woke up. He came tromping noisily down the stairs, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. He had his shirt off and had bandages wrapped around his shoulder and pecks to deal with my wound. I felt myself blush with chagrin.

He looked up at me, his hand still in his eye, then dropped his hand. "Hello, Alexis. Did you have a nice night?"

I nodded silently, not looking at him. "Got something to eat," I murmured.

Dr. Neville nodded and looked at his dog. She tilted her head and cocked her ears up. "How'd you sleep?" he asked her, walking into the kitchen. I looked down at Sam, she glanced at me, then followed her master.

Sighing, I leaned forward and propped my head up on my elbows. I rubbed my face with my hands, feeling absolutely horrible.

The sound of dishes and pans met my ears after a few seconds, then I heard Dr. Neville approach me. I tilted me head back to look up at him and expected him to be glaring at me, but his gaze was soft and sympathetic.

"You don't have to feel bad, you know. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. We've still got a lot to learn about your condition. It would seem to me that the hungrier you get, the quicker you transform into one of those things. Your hair has been looking stronger since we cut it."

I ran my fingers through my chin-length brown hair. It was still frighteningly thin, but it was soft and felt more like hair instead of crunched up, dry leaves.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, indicating to his shoulder.

He lifted his hand to touch his shoulder and waved it off. "Oh, I've had worse than that. Do you want some breakfast?"

I took a breath, then got to my feet and shook my head. "No. I just want to go to sleep. I got enough to eat for the day," I said, walking toward the stairs. He nodded, then I trekked up to my room.

Slowly, I closed the door behind me and walked to my bed, standing over it. I just stared at it for a few seconds, then I walked over to the corner with my precious trash can. I stared at it blankly, wondering why the hell it had been so important to me.

When I couldn't come up with anything, I just opened my door and set it outside. I would just let Dr. Neville deal with it if he came up to check on me. I wanted some sleep.

However, I didn't much feel like sleeping on the bed. I gave it a look, then I went and stood back in the corner. It _was_ much more comfortable than lying down. I felt like I could relax easier, too. It was odd.

Maybe I was becoming more and more Infected the longer the virus was allowed to run rampant in my system. . . .

I didn't want to think about that. It would only be a matter of time before Dr. Neville found the cure, anyway. I didn't have to worry so much.

* * *

Well, there is little left for me to say. I fear that my story is coming to an end, as there is little that I can write that hasn't yet been said. I've told you what life was like with Dr. Neville in my little entries. You know the story up until we met, and nothing else exciting happened.

Well, nothing worth talking about, anyway.

Yes, it took some time getting used to living in a city alone, but with Dr. Neville by my side, there was nothing I felt I couldn't get passed. He is my guiding light, and I am his sanity.

The day is September fifteenth. It has been a while since I started to work on Chapter Sixteen.

I will still probably continue to write a journal, but it will be like a real journal. I'll be adding to my story, but it will only be added once something important comes up. For the most part, all I wanted was to tell people my story up until this point in time.

I'm glad I took the time to write this. It took quite some time, but it's done. Now, if I were die, no one will forget me. If Dr. Neville cures the world, they will be able to read this. My story will be known.

Of course, I don't really plan on dying. This is just some insurance. Heck, maybe if the world gets back in order I could publish this thing. Why not? People will want to know what was going on during all this.

Anyway, it has really been good for me to write all of this down. Dr. Neville has been reading when he has the time, and he says it's given him a lot of insight to what it's like to be me or what it's like to be an Infected. I continue to become more and more like them, but I still have my hair and my sanity. Sunlight has become even more unbearable than it was before.

The Infected continue to avoid me at all costs. The Alpha hasn't changed at all since the guy with the cargo pants took over. It seems that he's a good leader for them. At least they think he is. I could care less who was in charge so long as they didn't cause me any trouble.

I have since come to terms with the fact that we are probably the only two survivors left. I understand that Dr. Neville hasn't given up. Well, actually, I know he has given up, but he still goes down to the dock and makes that silly little radio broadcast. It hurts me on the inside because I know it's just part of his routine.

Anyway, I'm going to stop here. Thank you for reading this. It means the world to me. But for now. . . . Good-bye, dear reader. Until we meet again.

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**And that concludes part one of We are Legends. I am currently almost finished with part one, but I will let you all soak up this part for a little while before I start to post chapters from part two. A little bit of information about it, though, is that most of it is just I am Legend in written form, but with Alexis thrown in there every once in a while. It's not finished as I've been quite distracted, but I'll try to update every now and again. **

**Thanks for reading. I hope you have all enjoyed this. I know I enjoyed writing it. =)**


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